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Songs - Dedication

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:45:03 -0800

Kosher: Jewish vs. Biblical

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:26:33 -0800

Avram Yehoshua and the people and organizations quoted on seedofabraham.net are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Kosher: Jewish vs. Biblical
by Avram Yehoshua

To abstain from all unclean animals (food), is Torah (the first five books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy). To 'keep kosher' the Jewish way, is both Torah and rabbinic. There is a big difference. God requires that we eat only clean meat (Torah: Lev. 11 and Deut. 14), and so do the Rabbis. But the Rabbis go further. Keeping kosher means that one doesn't eat any dairy products with meat. The Rabbis say that one cannot have cheese with clean meat, or even use a plate for meat, that once had cheese on it.

The separation of dairy and meat, with the rabbinic injunction that it's sin if one violates it, is based on the Scripture about not boiling a kid in its mother's milk. The rabbinic view is that one should not eat meat and dairy together thereby avoiding the possibility of breaking the Commandment.¹ Of course, God never says in this Commandment that one can't eat meat and dairy together, but this is how the Rabbis have interpreted it.


	Exodus Chapter 23 19 The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of YHWH thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk. Exodus Chapter 34 26 The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of YHWH thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.' Deuteronomy Chapter 14 21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself; thou mayest give it unto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner; for thou art a holy people unto YHWH thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.

This rabbinic rule came about through a perverse interpretation of Exodus 23:19 (the same verse being repeated in Ex. 34:26 and Deut. 14:21). The proper understanding of this verse deals with the ancient Egyptian and Canaanite idolatrous fertility rite.² The liquid (milk), was sprinkled over the fields by the pagans, after the fall harvest, 'to ensure' a bountiful harvest from their god or goddess, for next year. Exodus 23:19 reads:

'The first of the first fruits of your Land you must bring into the House of Yahveh your God. You must not boil a kid in his mother's milk.'


	From Manners and Customs of the Bible As this injunction is put in connection with sacrifices and festivals, it seems to have referred to some idolatrous practices of the heathen. Cudworth says, on the authority of an ancient Karaite Comment on the Pentateuch, that it was an ancient heathen custom to boil a kid in the dam's milk, and then besprinkle with it all the trees, fields, gardens, and orchards. This was done at the close of their harvests for the purpose of making trees and fields more fruitful the following year. It will be noticed that the injunction of the text is given in connection with the feast of harvest.

From this last sentence the Rabbis have constructed a veritable Mt. Everest of rabbinical regulations relating to the separation of meat and dairy and also the separation of dishes, silverware, pots, pans; sinks for washing the dishes in, and even separate refrigerators for keeping dairy and meat products. One can not place meat on a dairy dish (or vice versa), or the dish (pot, pan, etc.), becomes contaminated.³ Interesting to realize is that none of these meat or dairy products are prohibited, or sin in and of themselves (for the meat eaten by religious Jews would be clean according to Lev. 11, and all dairy products are naturally clean), but to eat the two at the same meal is sin, according to the Rabbis. In this they sin against both Yahveh, and the Jewish people who follow their rabbinic, perverse practice.

The first two passages of the kid in it's mother milk comes right on the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles (Ex. 23:16; 34:22). The Feast of Tabernacles is the end time or autumn harvest feast of God. It comes in October. And in the third passage where the kid is mentioned, immediately after that is the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 14:22ff).


	Exodus Chapter 23 16 and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labours, which thou sowest in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field. Exodus Chapter 34 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year. Deuteronomy Chapter 14 22 Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which is brought forth in the field year by year.

The Lord was declaring to His People Israel, that after the harvest season was over, when the pagan peoples around them would practice idolatry and witchcraft 'to insure a good harvest' for themselves for the next year, they were not to imitate the pagans. Israel was to trust Yahveh for next year's bountiful harvest.

We cannot find one Scripture where God commands that we abstain from eating dairy and meat together. Not one. The Rabbis have perverted the Scriptures when they declare that it is sin to eat meat and dairy together. A perversion that takes away from the Commandments of God by misinterpreting and falsifying them. The Rabbis have set up a false standard of sin. If a Jew eats cheese and meat together, they are sinning, according to the Rabbis. This rabbinic 'commandment' is confused with holiness. Many Jews think that they are good Jews, or holy, or worthy of Heaven, because they don't eat meat with dairy products. It is Man perverting the Word of God to his own destruction.

Biblically though, there is no problem with eating meat and dairy together. We see that the Lord Himself, and two angels did it, although the Rabbis try and get around this by saying that they waited 18 minutes after they ate the dairy, to eat the meat. (Eighteen minutes being only one school of rabbinic thought on how long one must wait after eating dairy, to eat meat. To eat dairy, after one has eaten meat, one must wait upwards of four to six hours. A great nutritional health practice for sure⁴ but hardly sin if one does not adhere to it.) There is another rabbinic school of thought that would make light of God and two angels eating meat and dairy together. They say that it was done before Torah was given on Mt. Sinai to Israel. But this too is a shallow reply to the Scriptures as nothing in all of Scripture shows us that eating meat and dairy together is sin.

The Scripture relates that Father Abraham gave Yahveh and His two angels (Gen. 18:22; 19:1), both dairy and meat to eat at the same time and that they ate it. In Genesis 18:8 we read:

'And he (Abraham) took butter (cream), and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.'


	In effort to discover the origin of this rabbinical rule, I found a assertion from Nahmanides also known as Rambam -- a man who had great influence on the history of the Jewish beliefs -- very concerning. Wikipedia: Nahmanides "His exposition, intermingled with aggadic and mystical interpretations, is based upon careful philology and original study of the Bible. As in his preceding works, he vehemently attacks the Greek philosophers, especially Aristotle, and frequently criticizes Maimonides' Biblical interpretations. Thus he cites Maimonides' interpretation of Gen. 18:8, asserting that it is contrary to the evident meaning of the Biblical words and that it is sinful even to hear it." No Rambam, this verse is not sinful. When you find a verse that does not agree with your beliefs, you correct your beliefs - you don't claim the verse sinful. Genesis Chapter 18 8 And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. ... 20 And YHWH said: 'Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous. 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.' 22 And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before YHWH. Genesis Chapter 19 1 And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth; 2 and he said: 'Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way.' And they said: 'Nay; but we will abide in the broad place all night.'

The Lord Himself⁵ and the two angels ate both the dairy and the meat at the same time. How can it be sin for us? The Rabbis have erred greatly, causing many millions of Jews to order their lives around this false standard. They have sinned against God and His Word by 'adding to' the Scriptures (Deut. 12:31).

'Whatever I command you, you must be careful to do. You must not add to, nor take away from it' (Deut. 12:32).


	Deuteronomy Chapter 4 1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which YHWH, the God of your fathers, giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of YHWH your God which I command you. Deuteronomy Chapter 13 1 All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Joshua Chapter 8 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them.

Of course, keeping kosher biblically should see the proper slaughter of the animal, with the subsequent draining of blood), as well as the prohibition not to eat any of the fat. Both the blood and the fat, as nutritionist point out to us, carry and are repositories for, toxins (poisons), respectively. That's why Yahveh commands us not to eat either of them:

'It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you must not eat any fat or any blood' (Lev. 3:17; see also, Lev. 7:23, 26; 19:26; Deut. 15:23, etc.).


	The fat referred to in Lev 3 & 7 is Chelev - the choicest fats used in making offerings to YHWH. These fats are not to be eaten, the fat of the innards and the fat of the tail. Both Rabbinical and Karaites agree the fat around the meat is acceptable for eating. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelev Digestive system fats There are many fats around the digestive organs such as the stomach and intestines, and one must be highly educated and trained in order to identify them. Chelev is defined in Leviticus Chapter 3:3-5. Interestingly enough, the chelev on the stomach is used in making rennet for cheese. How this cheese became kosher is beyond me. Now, they make vegetarian cheeses made without animal rennet -- some are even kosher. An interesting theory is found here: Reflecting on Judaism: Ultra-Orthodox Leviticus Chapter 3 3 And he shall present of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire unto YHWH: the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 4 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away hard by the kidneys. 5 And Aaron's sons shall make it smoke on the altar upon the burnt-offering, which is upon the wood that is on the fire; it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto YHWH. ... 17 It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood. Leviticus Chapter 7 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: Ye shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. 24 And the fat of that which dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of beasts, may be used for any other service; but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men present an offering made by fire unto YHWH, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. 26 And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Leviticus Chapter 19 26 Ye shall not eat with the blood; neither shall ye practise divination nor soothsaying. Deuteronomy Chapter 15 23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water.

For those of you who are Jewish, you might remember your grandmother's chicken schmultz (fat from the chicken that was used to cook meat and other things in, instead of using butter). How this was able to find a home in Judaism is beyond me.

From the Scriptures themselves, we have proven that it isn't a sin to eat dairy and meat together, if one so chooses. From ancient archeological findings (#2 in the notes section), boiling a kid in its mother's milk was a pagan fertility practice that Yahveh didn't want His people Israel to copy, not a dietary regulation. No Scripture tells us not to eat meat with dairy. None. But the Rabbis, not realizing the proper interpretation of boiling a kid in its mother's milk, set out and have built an incredible labyrinth of rules concerning the prohibition against eating meat and dairy together (different dishes, etc.). And now, it is considered sin in Judaism if one eats meat and dairy at the same table. And the ironic thing about all this is that neither the dairy, nor the meat that a Jew would eat, are 'unclean', or sin.


	Some regulations are difficult if not impossible to follow such as allowing a specific amount of flavor? How does a reasonable person measure flavor? The regulation of imparting flavor and the amount of flavor acceptable are both unrelated to Torah... www.moreshet.net/oldsite/mishna/5763 If a drop of milk fell onto a piece of meat in a boiling pot and the entire piece lay outside the broth, e.g., on top of another piece which partially protruded from the broth (Tosafot, Hameiri), and one neither stirred nor covered the pot so that the drop of milk affected this piece alone, and there was enough milk to impart its flavor to that piece - i.e., the piece of meat did not exceed sixty fold the drop of milk that had fallen into it, it - that piece of meat - is forbidden - i.e., the other pieces in the pot and its other contents do not combine to annul the flavor of the milk, since it penetrated only into the piece of meat onto which it fell, as explained above; hence if one removed that piece from the pot before it could absorb the milk and pass it on to the others, that piece is forbidden, but the rest of the pot is permitted (Hameiri). Deuteronomy Chapter 30 9 And YHWH thy God will make thee over-abundant in all the work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for YHWH will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers; 10 if thou shalt hearken to the voice of YHWH thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto YHWH thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off.

Also, from Genesis, we see that Yahveh and two of His angels ate meat and dairy at the same meal. If this was true for them, and it is, how can it be sin for us?

Endnotes

1. Of course, the possibility exists that you can eat the kid and the milk at different times. Carrying this to all meat and dairy possibilities (when the Scripture only speaks of the kid), chickens which do not give milk, still cannot be eaten together with dairy products. No where in the Scripture does it ever mention the eating of milk and meat together. This is a perverse understanding by the Rabbis.


	Giving credit where credit is due, Rabbinical Jews openly admit this is not a rule from the Torah. And therefore, openly admit to adding to the Torah... www.moreshet.net/oldsite/mishna/5763 If one places fowl and cheese on the table at which he eats (see mishnah 1), he does not transgress a prohibition - i.e., he does not risk transgressing a Torah prohibition (Gemara), since even their joint consumption does not infringe a Torah law but only a Rabbinic law, since mixing fowl meat with milk is only a Rabbinic restriction. If, however, one places on the table beef with cheese, he does risk the transgression of a Torah law, as explained in mishnah 1. However, the halakhah follows Bet Hillel's rule that fowl meat may also not be placed on the table together with cheese, as explained (above 8:1).

2. Rev. James M. Freeman, Manners and Customs of the Bible (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1972; originally written about 1874), p. 73, number 133, says this 'injunction is put in connection with sacrifices and festivals,' the seething of a kid in his mother's milk was an 'idolatrous practice' done, 'for the purpose of making trees and fields more fruitful the following year.' This is seen, 'on the authority of an ancient Karaite comment on the Pentateuch', 'the trees, fields, gardens and orchards' would be sprinkled with that milk.'


	From Manners and Customs of the Bible As this injunction is put in connection with sacrifices and festivals, it seems to have referred to some idolatrous practices of the heathen. Cudworth says, on the authority of an ancient Karaite Comment on the Pentateuch, that it was an ancient heathen custom to boil a kid in the dam's milk, and then besprinkle with it all the trees, fields, gardens, and orchards. This was done at the close of their harvests for the purpose of making trees and fields more fruitful the following year. It will be noticed that the injunction of the text is given in connection with the feast of harvest. Thomson says, that the Arabs "select a young kid, fat and tender, dress it carefully, and then stew it in milk, generally sour, mixed with onions and hot spices such as they relish. They call it Lebn immu -- kid, 'in his mother's milk.' The Jews, however, will not eat it."--The Land and the Book, vol. i, 135.

Charles F. Pfeiffer, Old Testament, Everett F. Harrison, New Testament, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977), p. 73, states that, in 'the Ugarit literature discovered in 1930, it was learned that boiling a kid in its mother's milk was a Canaanite practice used in connection with fertility rites (Birth of the Gods, 1:14).'

R. L. Harris, Editor; Gleason Archer, Jr. and Bruce Waltke, Associate Editors, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 1 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), p. 285, also tells us that, 'Since a Ugaritic text (UT 16: Text no. 52:14) specifies, 'They cook a kid in milk', 'the biblical injunction may have been directed against a Canaanite fertility rite.'

3. The exception to this rule is if the dish is glass. Glass being non porous, the Rabbis allow for this as long as it has been thoroughly washed. But this exception is not followed in practice.

4. Nutritional science tells us that the eating of dairy and meat products together can retard digestion.

5. From the following Scripture we can see that it was actually God (and two angels), that Abraham fed the dairy and the meat to. Gen. 18:10: 'He said, 'I will surely return to you at this time next year and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.' 'And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.' Gen. 18:13-15: 'And Yahveh said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' 'Is anything too difficult for Yahveh? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.' 'Sarah denied it however, saying, 'I did not laugh' for she was afraid.' 'And He said, 'No, but you did laugh.' Gen. 18:17-20: 'Yahveh said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of Yahveh by doing righteousness and justice, so that Yahveh may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him. And Yahveh said, 'The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.' Gen. 18:22: 'Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before Yahveh. Abraham came near and said, 'Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?' Gen. 18:26: 'So Yahveh said, 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.' It was Yahveh, the God of Israel, who ate the meal that Father Abraham gave Him and the angels.

SCRIPTURE AND SCHISM: Samaritan and Karaite Treasures

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:08:03 -0800

Marina Rustow of The Jewish Theological Seminary, and the people and organizations quoted on jtsa.edu, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Exhibit at the JTS Library
December 14, 2000 - April 5, 2001
Online selections available indefinitely

Introduction: The Makings of a Jewish Schism

Who are the Samaritans and the Karaites? The Samaritans claim descent from the biblical Israelites of the Northern Kingdom in Samaria, while the Jews trace their origins to Judeans of the Southern Kingdom who were exiled to Babylonia. The Samaritans furthermore accept only the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, as their sacred text. The Karaites accept all twenty-four books of the Hebrew Bible, and in this they agree with the Jews. But ever since their origins in eighth-century Iraq, they have rejected rabbinic law as expressed in the Talmud. They maintain instead that the Bible is the sole authentic source of Jewish law.


	Deuteronomy Chapter 31 24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of YHWH, saying: 26 'Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of YHWH your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against YHWH; and how much more after my death? 28 Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death ye will in any wise deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of YHWH, to provoke Him through the work of your hands.'

The Samaritans and the Karaites do not have much in common beyond their special relationship to Scripture. While the two groups had some limited contact and even influence on each other during the Middle Ages, their histories have taken completely different paths. The Samaritans have always lived within pilgimage distance of their place of worship, Mount Gerizim, near Shechem in Samaria. Although during ancient and medieval times, Samaritans lived as far away from Mount Gerizim as Cairo, Damascus, and the Greek isles, the Samaritan diaspora rarely rivaled the Shechem community in religious and cultural importance.

The Karaites, by contrast, never lived in or near one particular place. For much of their history, they maintained a group of representatives in Jerusalem. But the majority of Karaites have always lived among the rest of the Jews. In the Middle Ages, the major communities of Karaites were in Iraq, Syria-Palestine, Egypt, North Africa and Spain. From there they migrated to the Balkans and Turkey, and then to the Crimean peninsula, Russia, Poland, and Lithuania. Until the twentieth century, western Europe was the only major Jewish habitation without Karaites. The second major difference between the Karaites and the Samaritans is that the Karaites are a Jewish sect, while the Samaritans are not. The Karaites might not accept the term 'sect' because it is usually applied only to groups one finds beyond the bounds of acceptable belief and practice. In this sense, the Karaites might equally call the Rabbanites a sect. But both Karaism and Rabbanism are ways of practicing Judaism, regardless of what one believes to be the true way. The Karaites have never questioned their status as Jews (with the exception of a few dark episodes in modern times), and the rest of Jewry has agreed with them.

The Samaritans do not consider themselves Jews, nor do they wish to be so considered. The Jews were exiled from Judea by the Persians in the sixth century BCE. The Samaritans claim to have inhabited Samaria continuously both before and after the Persian conquest. Therefore, the Samaritans were never Jews, even though they had close contact with the Jews at various points in their history. Josephus called the Samaritans an ethnos — a nation separate and distinct from the Jews — and Samaritans today agree with him.

The Samaritans' and Karaites' rejection of rabbinic literature has often led to the mistaken notion that their religions are strictly biblical. In fact, the Samaritans developed their own body of post-biblical law and tradition, called hillukh, and the Karaites theirs, called sevel ha-yerushah (the burden of tradition). Neither group ever claimed unchanging adherence to biblical laws.

In rabbinic polemic as in the popular Jewish imagination, Samaritans and Karaites have played the role of the quintessential heretics. One of the aims of this exhibition is to widen this view of the Samaritans and Karaites as irredeemably 'other' by presenting them through their own writings. Only by placing the Samaritans and the Karaites in historical context can we alter the mistaken notion that their sole reason for existence was to counter rabbinic Judaism.

Marina Rustow

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Is the Pronunciation of the Name YHWH Lost?

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:09:24 -0700

Yaaqov Ben Yisrael & Jodell Onstott are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Is the Pronunciation of the Name YHWH Lost?
האם ההגוּי שׁל השׁם יהוה אבוּד
By: Yaaqov Ben Yisrael
Edited by Jodell Onstott

In the book of Exodus, we are introduced to the name of the Creator. This is not to say that His name was not used prior; yet we are given a more personal introduction to His name.


	The author states that zeker means "mention" and the JPS translates it to be "memorial". Perhaps, a more direct translation might be "remembrance". wiktionary.com defines "remembrance" as that which serves to keep in or bring to mind; a memorial; a token; a memento; a souvenir; a memorandum or note of something to be remembered. In this case, the name by which God is to be remembered. Exodus Chapter 3 15 And God said moreover unto Moses: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

From Exodus 3:15

וַיֹּאמֶר עוֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה כֹּה תֹאמַר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם | זֶה שְּׁמִי לְעֹלָם וְזֶה זִכְרִי לְדֹר דֹּר

Elohiym (God) again spoke to Moshe (Moses), thus you shall speak to the sons of Yisrael (Israel), Y'HWaH God of your fathers God of Avraham (Abraham) God of Yitshaq (Isaac) God of Yaaqov (Jacob) sent me to you; this is My name from everlasting, and this is my mention generation to generation. (YBY Translation) Exodus 3:15


	Joel Chapter 3 5 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as YHWH hath said, and among the remnant those whom YHWH shall call.

We are further told in Joel 3:5:

וְהָיָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט | כִּי בְּהַר צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם תִּהְיֶה פְלֵיטָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהוָה וּבַשְּׂרִידִים אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה קֹרֵא

And it shall be, all who call upon the name Y'HWaH shall be delivered; for in mount Tsiyyon (Zion) and in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) shall be deliverance, like Y'HWaH said, and in the remnants who shall be called. (YBY Translation)¹

Seeing that YHWH's name and mention has been given, and He tells us to use his name throughout our generations, even commanding us to call upon his name for deliverance, you would think we would know how to pronounce His name.

According to many Biblical scholars, among all religious affiliations, there exists a consensus of opinion that the true pronunciation of this name has been lost. That there is no way to know for certain the true pronunciation of the Creator's name.

In this paper, we will examine the Biblical evidence for this pronunciation. We will investigate the vowels and accents left to us by the Masoretes², as well as many compound usages. We will discover the reason that the traditional Masoretic Text (MT) has left us in a state of ignorance regarding the pronunciation of the Creator's name. By using simple rules of Hebrew grammar, we will try to reproduce possible pronunciations.The first area we need to examine is where our modern understanding of the pronunciation for YHWH's name originates. According to modern Judaism there is a strict ban on the use of the divine name. Many Jewish traditions prohibit pronouncing YHWH's name. This is evident in many Rabbinic sources, such as Mishnah Berurah, the Babylonian Talmud, and the Mishnah³.

The Babylonian Talmud, for instance, explains how the prohibition began:

The rabbis taught: The year when Simeon the Upright had to die, he told the sages: "Children, know ye that this year I am going to die." They asked him: "How dost thou know?" He said: "Every year when I entered and left the Holy of Holies, I was accompanied by one old man, dressed in white and enveloped in white; but this year it was an old man attired in black and in a black turban, and he entered with me but did not go out with me." And after the festivals, he got sick, and died. And thenceforth priests ceased to bless Israel with the name of YHWH, but used "Adonai" (the Lord). (Yoma 39b)

Simeon the Upright was a High Priest who may have lived during the time of Alexander the Great⁴; from that time on the pronunciation of the name was suppressed:

Whoever pronounces the Name forfeits his portion in the world to come. (Sanh. X. 1)

Originally the Hebrew text had no vowels or marks of punctuation. The Masorete (see note 1) scribes introduced the current vowels (called pointing) and punctuation of the text, and are responsible for changing the pronunciation of the name YHWH to that of Adonai or Elohiym. יהוה YHWH is used in miqra (scripture) a total of 6,912 times containing various vowel pointings. Here is how it is used:

יְהֹוָה (Y'howah) Used a total of 29 times
יְֶהוִה (Yehwih) Used a total of 304 times
יְֶהֹוִה (Yehowih) Used only once in Judges 16:28
יְהֹוִה (Y'howih) Used a total of 23 times
יְהוִה (Y'hwih) Used a total of 207 times
יְהוָה (Y'hwah) Used a total of 6,528 times

We have the following vowels used in these various forms: vocal shewa (identified by the apostrophe in the transliteration) יְ, cholem (long O) הֹ, qamets (a as in father) וָ, hireq (short i) וִ, and hateph seghol (short e)יְֶ.

In Hebrew there are only two types of syllables; a) open, a syllable that ends in a vowel, b) closed, a syllable that ends in a consonant. A syllable is classified by its position in relation to the accent. The accented syllable is called the tonic syllable. The syllable preceding the tonic is called the pretonic syllable. And the syllable preceding the pretonic is called the propretonic syllable. The rules governing vowels and syllabification, dictate that vowels prefer certain syllables. Short vowels prefer either an open accented syllable or a closed unaccented syllable. Long vowels, changeable or unchangeable, prefer either a closed accented syllable or an open pretonic syllable. Reduced (hateph) vowels prefer open propretonic syllables. In this regard, the vocal shewa⁶ is used in the open propretonic syllable in consonants other than gutturals, while the reduced (hateph) vowels are used in open propretonic syllables containing guttural letters. namely: ח, ה, ע, א.

The rules I've described above underlie all Hebrew grammar - including YHWH's name. However, the MT clearly demonstrates the intention of the Masoretic scribes to uphold their tradition above common grammar rules. The Masoretic scribes distort vowels within YHWH's name by employing vowel points so that the reader will speak an alternative pronunciation. Notice how well the following text demonstrates this arbitrary use of Hebrew vowels in regard to YHWH's name:


	Genesis Chapter 3 14 And YHWH God said unto the serpent: 'Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

From Genesis 3:14

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהִים אֶל הַנָּחָשׁ כִּי עָשִׂיתָ זֹּאת אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכָּל הַבְּהֵמָה וּמִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה | עַל גְּחֹנְךָ תֵלֵךְ וְעָפָר תֹּאכַל כָּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ

And Y'HoWaH Elohiym said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are accursed above all the beasts, and all the creatures of the field; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life."(YBY Translation) Ge. 3:14

In this verse we have YHWH preceding Elohiym, and the vowel points are vocal shewa, cholem (long o), and qamets (a as in father). There are 29 places in miqra where these vowels points are used for YHWH; 22 times YHWH stands alone, and 7 times it stands prior to Elohiym.

In the case where YHWH either stands alone, or precedes Elohiym the consonants YHWH contain the vowels of Adonai, אְַדֹנָי. These vowels being hateph pathach (a as in bat) אְַ, cholem (long o) דֹ, and qamets (a as in father) נָ. You will notice immediately that the first vowel of YHWH in the text is a shewa, while the first vowel of Adonai is hateph pathach (a as in bat). This is because the reduced (hateph) vowels prefer open propretonic syllables containing a guttural, while the vocal shewa is used on open propretonic syllables containing all non guttural consonants. Therefore, when applied to the name YHWH, the hateph pathach naturally reverts to a vocal shewa. This simply means the vocal shewa of YHWH is there because of vowel preference and not because the name originally had a vocal shewa in the first consonant.


	Genesis Chapter 15 2) And Abram said: 'O Lord YHWH, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?'

From Genesis 15:2

וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה מַה תִּתֶּן לִי וְאָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי | וּבֶן מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי הוּא דַּמֶּשֶׂק אֱלִיעֶזֶר

And Avram said, "Adonai YeHWiH, what will you give me seeing I go childless; and the steward of my house is Eliazer the Damascan?"(YBY Translation) Ge. 15:2

Here YHWH is immediately preceded by the title Adonai. The vowel points of YHWH are hateph seghol (short e), hireq (short i). These vowel points are used on YHWH a total of 304 times, and in each case it is preceded by Adonai. The hateph seghol (short e) is placed on the yod in YHWH. This violates the common rule of vowel preference and is done here in order to remind the reader that the pronunciation of YHWH is Elohiym and not Adonai, as Adonai takes the hateph pathach and not hateph seghol. Here, the vowel points of YHWH are those of Elohiym, namely the hateph seghol and the hireq, to reduce redundancy by saying Adonai twice.


	Judges Chapter 16 28 And Samson called unto YHWH, and said: 'O Lord YHWH, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be this once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.'

From Judges 16:28

וַיִּקְרָא שִׁמְשׁוֹן אֶל יְהוָה וַיֹּאמַר | אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִֹה זָכְרֵנִי נָא וְחַזְּקֵנִי נָא אַךְ הַפַּעַם הַזֶּה הָאֱלֹהִים וְאִנָּקְמָה נְקַם אַחַת מִשְּׁתֵי עֵינַי מִפְּלִשְׁתִּים

And Samson cried to Y'HWaH and said, "Adonai YeHoWiH, remember me I pray, and strengthen me now, this one time, O God, and I shall be avenged with one vengeance the Philistines for my two eyes."(YBY Translation) Judges 16:28

In this verse YHWH is used twice. Once with the vowels of Adonai, and once with the vowels of Elohiym. This is the only place in miqra where all three of the vowels of Elohiym are transferred to YHWH; hateph seghol (short e), cholem (long o), and hireq (short i). The presence of the hateph seghol clearly indicates the reading should be Elohiym, proving the alteration of the vowel points by the scribes.


	First Kings Chapter 2 26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king: 'Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art deserving of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord YHWH before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.'

From 1Kings 2:26

וּלְאֶבְיָתָר הַכֹּהֵן אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ עֲנָתֹת לֵךְ עַל שָׂדֶיךָ כִּי אִישׁ מָוֶת אָתָּה | וּבַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לֹא אֲמִיתֶךָ כִּי נָשָׂאתָ אֶת אֲרוֹן אֲדֹנָי יְהוִֹה לִפְנֵי דָּוִד אָבִי וְכִי הִתְעַנִּיתָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַנָּה אָבִי

And the king said to Aviathar the priest, "go to Anathoth your fields, for you are a man of death; I will not kill you this day, for you bore the ark of Adonai Y'HoWiH before David my father, and you were afflicted with all the afflictions of my father."(YBY Translation) 1Kings 2:26

Here we have YHWH with the vowels of Elohiym as it naturally follows Adonai. This usage occurs 23 times in the miqra, exclusively with Adonai. Again YHWH contains all the vowels of Elohiym except the hateph seghol, which is to be expected seeing that the vocal shewa is preferable on the yod of YHWH. This is in line with the rules of Hebrew grammar that dictate the hateph vowels are used only on guttural consonants in the propretonic position.


	Ezekiel Chapter 24 24 Thus shall Ezekiel be unto you a sign; according to all that he hath done shall ye do; when this cometh, then shall ye know that I am the Lord YHWH.

From Ezekiel 24:24

וְהָיָה יְחֶזְקֵאל לָכֶם לְמוֹפֵת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה תַּעֲשׂוּ | בְּבֹאָהּ וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה

And Ezekiel shall be a sign for you as all that he did you shall do; in its coming you shall know that I am Adonai Y'HWiH.(YBY Translation) Ezekiel 24:24

This is another instance where YHWH takes the vowels of Elohiym, as it is associated with Adonai. Here YHWH has the vocal shewa, and the hireq of Elohiym. This usage appears 207 times in miqra, exclusively with Adonai. The Name here is only of two syllables, yet it has the vocal shewa, which prefers the propretonic. This would indicate the vowels were for a word containing at least three syllables. This again demonstrates a scribes arbitrary vowel pointing.


	Genesis Chapter 2 4 These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in the day that YHWH God made earth and heaven.

From Genesis 2:4

אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם | בְּיוֹם עֲשׂוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם

These are the generations of the sky and earth in their creation; in the day of Y'HWaH Elohiym's making earth and sky.(YBY Translation) Genesis 2:4

Here we have the first instance where the name YHWH is used in miqra. It immediately precedes Elohiym and naturally has the vowels of Adonai; vocal shewa, and qamets. Again, it follows the rules of vowel preference inasmuch as the hateph vowels prefer gutturals. This usage occurs 6,528 times. It never occurs in conjunction with Adonai, rather it occurs in conjunction with Elohiym or stands alone. This is why there is a qamets consistently and not a hireq, as the pronunciation is to be Adonai, and not Elohiym. Let's pause and review what we have so far. In the miqra anytime YHWH is used in conjunction with Adonai it takes the vowels of Elohiym; and any time YHWH is used in conjunction with Elohiym it takes the vowels of Adonai. The fact that Adonai has the hateph pathach, and Elohiym has the hateph seghol, while YHWH normally employs the vocal shewa, is in line with the rules to Hebrew vowels and syllabification. The rule to vowel preference and syllabification demand that hateph (reduced) vowels such as hateph pathach and hateph seghol are used with gutturals in the propretonic position, while the vocal shewa is used in consonants other than gutturals in the propretonic position.

To help demonstrate the fact that YHWH does employ the vowels of both Adonai and Elohiym, lets consider the rule regarding inseparable prepositions. Inseparable prepositions are prepositions attached directly to a noun. The inseparable prepositions are: בְּ (B') in, by or with; לְ (L') to or for; and כְּ (K') like, as, or according to.

The rule states that when an inseparable preposition is attached, it will normally take a vocal shewa. When, however, it is attached to a word whose first consonant has a reduced (hateph) vowel the inseparable preposition will take the vowel of the corresponding hateph. For example; if the first consonant has a hateph seghol, the preposition will have the seghol; if the first consonant has a hateph pathach, the preposition will have the pathach; and if the consonant has the hateph qamets, the preposition will take the qamets. However, before consonants containing a vocal shewa, the inseparable preposition takes a hireq.

In the miqra, whenever the word YHWH has an inseparable preposition the preposition never has the hireq. Instead it has the vowel of the corresponding pronunciation of either Elohiym or Adonai. This proves the pronunciation is to be Adonai or Elohiym and not Y'howah, Yahweh, Yehwih or any other pronunciation based upon the existing consonant/vowel combination. The following are examples showing the inseparable prepositions and their vowels, indicating an Adonai or Elohiym pronunciation.


	Genesis Chapter 8 20 And Noah builded an altar unto YHWH; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.

From Genesis 8:20

וַיִּבֶן נֹחַ מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה | וַיִּקַּח מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וּמִכֹּל הָעוֹף הַטָּהֹר וַיַּעַל עֹלֹת בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ

And Noach built an altar to LaYHWaH; and he took from all the clean beasts and all the clean birds and offered them upon the altar.(YBY Translation) Genesis 8:20

Here the inseparable preposition has the pathach, which would be expected from Adonai, not Y'howah. Had YHWH had a vocal shewa, the preposition would have taken a hireq. Instead the Lamed (L) has the pathach ("a" vowel) indicating the next vowel to be hateph pathach and not vocal shewa. This indicates an Adonai.


	Exodus Chapter 8 6 And he said: 'Against to-morrow.' And he said: 'Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto YHWH our God.

From Exodus 8:6

וַיֹּאמֶר לְמָחָר | וַיֹּאמֶר כִּדְבָרְךָ לְמַעַן תֵּדַע כִּי אֵין כַּיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ

And he said, to the morrow; he said, according to your word, so you may know there is none like KaYHWaH our G-d. (YBY Translation) Exodus 8:6

Again, the inseparable preposition has the pathach and not the hireq.


	Psalms Chapter 11 1 For the Leader. A Psalm of David. In YHWH have I taken refuge; how say ye to my soul: 'Flee thou! to your mountain, ye birds'?

From Psalm 11:1

לַמְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִד | בַּיהוָה חָסִיתִי אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרוּ לְנַפְשִׁי נודו [נוּדִי קרי] הַרְכֶם צִפּוֹר

For the superintendent of David; In BaYHWaH I trust, how do you say to my soul, flee to your mountain as a bird?(YBY Translation) Psalm 11:1

Again we see the same thing. The inseparable vowel has the pathach and not the hireq. All these indicate that the subsequent vowel is a hateph pathach, and not vocal shewa. Having the evidence of the Masoretic Text, as well as the rules of Hebrew grammar we understand why reproducing the pronunciation of YHWH based upon the vowels of the Hebrew text would be futile, since these vowels are borrowed from two different words. Knowing that the existing vowels of YHWH actually belong to Adonai or Elohiym, should we continue to base the pronunciation based upon the Masoretic editing?

How then can we reproduce a possible pronunciation? What is left to us now are the actual consonants of the Name itself. What we now have to do is determine the source of the Name. Is it a verb, a noun, or something else?

In order to do this many Biblical scholars have turned to one passage in particular to show the etymology of the Name:


	Exodus Chapter 3 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt.' 11 And Moses said unto God: 'Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?' 12 And He said: 'Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.' 13 And Moses said unto God: 'Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them: The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is His name? what shall I say unto them?' 14 And God said unto Moses: 'I AM THAT I AM'; and He said: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.' 15 And God said moreover unto Moses: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations. 16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them: YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying: I have surely remembered you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.

From Exodus 3:13-15:

וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָא אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם | וְאָמְרוּ לִי מַה שְּׁמוֹ מָה אֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה | וַיֹּאמֶר כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶהְיֶה שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם וַיֹּאמֶר עוֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה כֹּה תֹאמַר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם | זֶה שְּׁמִי לְעֹלָם וְזֶה זִכְרִי לְדֹר דֹּר

And Moshe said to HaElohiym, Look I am going to the sons of Israel and I will say to them, the G-d of your fathers sent me to you; and they shall say, What is His name? What shall I say to them? So Elohiym said to Moshe, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh(I am that I am); and He said, So shall you say to the sons of Israel Ehyeh (I am) sent me to you. Elohiym further spoke to Moshe, So shall you say to the sons of Israel, YHWH G-d of your fathers G-d of Avraham G-d of Yitshaq G-d of Yaaqov sent me to you; this is My name from everlasting, and this is my mention generation to generation. (YBY Translation) Exodus 3:13-15

Most Biblical scholars assume from this passage the Name must be the qal 3rd masculine imperfect of הָיָה Hayah. This would give the name the vowels of the imperfect conjugation namely; יִהְיֶה (Yihyeh). There is also some debate among the scholars as to whether or not the Name is qal (simple), piel (intensive), or hiphil (causative). The problem with the piel or hiphil is that the verb הָיָה (Hayah) does not conjugate in these stems. In fact this verb only occurs in the qal stem.

This means that the vowel of the yod would not be a vocal shewa, which is the sign of the piel imperfect, nor yet a pathach which is the sign of the hiphil imperfect. This would rule out any possible constructions where the yod of YHWH would take either a pathach ("a" vowel) or the vocal shewa. Besides this, the second consonant (H) would also have either a pathach or hateph pathach in both conjugations, as the ה is a guttural. No guttural can take a vocal shewa, rather they would take either pathach or hateph pathach.

So in a piel construction (which is impossible) the YHWH would be יְהַיֶּה Y'hayyeh. In a hiphil construction (which also is impossible) the YHWH would be יַהְַיֶה Yahayeh. Both are impossible as the verb הָיָה (Hayah) does not exist in any other stem besides the qal.

The problem with the qal stem of הָיָה (Hayah) is that the conjugation does not employ a ו (W) of YHWH in any form. When you take conjugation into consideration along with the common morphology of Hebrew verbs to nouns and compound nouns, it makes it difficult to accept the qal 3rd imperfect form as the basis of the Name.

Looking at other verbs, when they are morphed into names or compound names, the basic structure is retained. As far as vowel pointing there is lots of leniency in morphology. However, I don't know of a single instance in miqra where a verb is made into a noun and the consonants are exchanged. Consonants may be dropped but not exchanged from the original construction. While there are exceptions to this with weak verbs, the consonants are either dropped or assimilated in these weak verbs still appear in the morphed form. Let's look at some examples.

Ezekiel is a compound derived from the verb חָזָק (Chazaq) and אֵל (Eil). The construction is in the qal 3rd imperfect form יֶחְֶזַק (Yechezaq). When morphed into the name Ezekiel, the vowels are changed according to the rules of morphology, but the consonants remain, hence you have יְחֶזְקֵאל Y'chezqeil.

Another example is the name Jehiah 1 Chronicles 15:24. This is actually a compound of the verbחָיָה (Hayah) and possible contraction of the Name יָה (Yah). The construction is from the qal 3rd imperfect יִחְיֶה (Yihyeh). In this construction the final ה ֶ seghol He is actually a vowel letter and not a consonant of the root, as such this letter can be discarded in forming compound names. Therefore we get the construction יְחִיָּה Y'hiyyah.

Incidentally, in verse 24 we have an example of the conjunction וְ (W') attached to a word with a vocal shewa in the first syllable. Similar to the rule regarding inseparable prepositions, when the conjunction is attached to a syllable containing the yod and vocal shewa the conjunction will take a hireq. When attached to a word whose first syllable contains a reduced (hateph) vowel then the conjunction will take the vowel of the hateph. In this case the word has a yod and vocal shewa so the construction is וִיחִיָּה(Wiyhiyyah).

In my opinion, the Name is not from the qal 3rd imperfect of הָיָה Hayah (To be). This means the pronunciation does not follow that of the conjugated 3rd masculine singular of הָיָה Hayah (To be) which would render the pronunciation as יִהְיֶה (Yihyeh) . I also believe the verb root is from the verb הָוָה Hawah (To be) rather than from הָיָה Hayah (To be) since in nearly all the compound names that include a form of the Name, we have these distinct constructions. When prefixed to a name, we have the form יְהֹו (Y'ho) as in the name יְהֹואָחָז Y'hoachaz or יְהֹושֻׁעַ Y'hoshua. There is also a shorter form as a prefix such as יֹואָח Yoach and יֹואָחָז Yoachaz. When suffixed to a name, we have the forms יָהוּ Yahu and יָהּ Yah as in the names אֵלִיָּהוּ Eiliyyahu (Elijah) and אֵלִיָּה Eiliyyah (Elijah).

Now, lets look at the passage in Exodus again:

Now then go, I will send you to Pharaoh; and bring out My people the sons of Israel from Egypt. And Moshe said to HaElohiym, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh; and that I should bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt? And He said, Ehyeh (I am) with you, and this is the sign that I have sent you; in your bringing out the people from Egypt, you shall serve HaElohiym on this mountain. And Moshe said to HaElohiym, Look I am going to the sons of Israel and I shall say to them, the G-d of your fathers sent me to you. They shall say to me, What is His name. What am I to say to them? Elohiym said to Moshe, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (I am that I am); He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, Ehyeh (I am) sent me to you. Elohiym further said to Moshe, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel YHWH the G-d of Avraham the G-d of Yitshaq and the G-d of Yaaqov sent me to you; this is My Name from everlasting, and this is My mention generation to generation. (YBY Translation) Exodus 3:10-15

In this passage we have some word play called Hebraism. Common to the miqra, this type of Hebraism is a play on words in a narrative. Hebraism occur when a certain word is used repetitively. Often, the same word or very similar word is used to give a subtle change. This is done to call the attention of the reader to an important message in the narrative sequence.

In this example we have the reluctant prophet being assured that his mission is Divinely sanctioned. It would seem to the reader that Moshe while standing before the Creator of the Universe, should have no doubts. Yet he does, and YHWH assures him by first saying, "Ehyeh אֶהְיֶה with you" (I am with you). This is the qal 1st person imperfect of הָיָה Hayah. YHWH even gives him a sign that once the people leave, they would serve Him on the mountain. Yet alas, the prophet is still doubtful. Moshe asks for the name so that he could tell the Israelites who it is that sent him. Now comes the most famous lines ever quoted; G-d responds by saying, "Ehyeh (I am) אֶהְיֶה Asher (That) Ehyeh (I am) אֶהְיֶה, tell them "Ehyeh (I am) אֶהְיֶה sent you.
Now we have the narrative ripe for the Hebraism. Four times in the narrative Ehyeh אֶהְיֶה is used. The next verse there is a sudden change in the Name:

From Exodus 3:15:

וַיֹּאמֶר עוֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה כֹּה תֹאמַר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם

Elohiym further said to Moshe, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel YHWH the G-d of Avraham the G-d of Yitshaq and the G-d of Yaaqov sent me to you...
(YBY Translation) Exodus 3:15

The name is now changed from the qal 1st imperfect of הָיָה Hayah to יִהְוֶה YiHWeH (He Is), the qal imperfect 3rd masculine of הָוָה Hawah (To be). This would keep it in line with the sequence of Ehyeh (I am) אֶהְיֶה. This would give the translative value of the verse as :

From Exodus 3:15:

And Elohiym spoke further to Moshe, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel He Is the G-d of Avraham the G-d of Yitshaq and the G-d of Yaaqov sent me to you; this is my Name from everlasting, and this is My mention generation to generation. (YBY Translation) Exodus 3:15

When we consider the fact that Moshe would be speaking to the people concerning YHWH in the third person, it only seems natural that YHWH would speak in the third person concerning Himself. An interesting point here, is that nowhere in miqra is this form of the verb הָוָה Hawah (To be) used for any other than YHWH Himself. There is only one example of the qal imperfect 3rd of Hawah (To be) in Ecc. 11:3. You will note though the difference in its orthography, as יְהוּא Y'hu. The actual form of this verb add an Alef א and drops the final He ה. This is a shortened form of the qal 3rd imperfect of הָוָה Hawah (To be) much like the shorted form of the qal 3rd imperfect of הָיָה Hayah (To be) יְהִי Y'hiy (will be) used throughout the miqra. There are two examples of the active participle הֹוֶה Howeh (Is), but not of the 3rd imperfect יִהְוֶה YiHWeH other than in the Name YHWH itself. This would also makes sense in order to keep the reader from confusing the use of the 3rd imperfect יִהְוֶה, since the original scrolls had no vowels. How else would we know if the verse was speaking of YHWH Himself or some other, unless this verb form was restricted to the Creator Himself?

I believe to reconstruct the Name by employing the vowels in the Hebrew text would be in error. The Masorete scribes deliberately removed the original vowels of YHWH. In the Hebrew texts we now have the current vowels of the Name are vowel points used to indicate an alternate pronunciation, such as Adonai and Elohiym depending on the context, so that the reader does not actually pronounce YHWH's name.

To base the pronunciation on the 3rd qal imperfect of הָיָה Hayah, in my opinion would also be in error, as the form הָוָה Hawah would be more appropriate based on verb conjugation. I propose the Name as being from the 3rd imperfect of יִהְוֶה YiHWeH , which would be in line with the narrative, and also correct in the rules to Hebrew grammar.

In my opinion, the Name should be pronounced as יִהְוֶה YiHWeH, however there is another possible and plausible pronunciation which could actually be supported by the rules of Hebrew grammar and morphology. We have many examples of nouns (names) being derived from the qal imperfect 3rd masculine verb conjugation. Allow me to explain a few more rules to Hebrew grammar.

Hebrew verbs of the qal derived stem are either strong, or weak. They are considered weak if they contain guttural consonants. Strong verbs are usually of three consonants which have the qamets (T) on the first consonant and a pathach (_) on the second. Nouns can be derived from the verbs, simply by changing the vowels. For instance the qal 3rd perfect verb דָבַר Davar (to speak) can be changed to a noun simply by changing the pathach of the (V) to a qamets hence, דָבָר Davar, (a word).

The qal 3rd imperfect verb is formed by prefixing a yod (י) to the perfect verb stem, and changing the vowels. For example, the qal 3rd perfect דָּרַשׁ Darash (to study) is changed to the qal imperfect 3rd thus: יִדְּרֹשׁ YiDRoSH (he will study). Here we have instead of the qamets, pathach construction, the hireq, silent shewa, holem construction with the yod prefix.

Weak verbs of the III/ה type, having a weak vowel in the third consonant, have a slight change to their conjugation than the strong verbs we just saw. When a weak verb is conjugated into the qal imperfect 3rd, the root ה is dropped, and a seghol He is added as a vowel letter. For example, the qal perfect 3rd weak verb שָׁוָה Shawa (to be equal) is conjugated to the qal imperfect 3rd as יִשְׁוֶה YiSHWeH.

Using the rule above concerning noun derivatives, to change the imperfect verb to a noun, we would simply change the final vowel to a qamets; in the case of יִשְׁוֶה YiSHWeH it would be the (eH). Now we would have יִשְׁוָה YiSHWaH a noun from יִשְׁוֶה YiSHWeH a verb. We see an example of this type of derivative in miqra, for example: the name יִשְׁוָה Ishua in 1Ch. 7:30. Another example is the name יִשְׁפָה Isphah in 1Ch 8:16. If we apply this rule to the name YHWH, we could possibly and plausibly have the noun יִהְוָה YiHWaH from the verb יִהְוֶה YiHWeH.

In either case the name YHWH should not be pronounced as Yaweh יָהוֶה as this violates the conjugation of the verb Hayah הָיָה. It absolutely should not be pronounced based upon the current vowels of the text as either

יְהֹוָה Y'howah,
יְֶהוִה Yehwih,
יְֶהֹוִה Yehowih,
יְהֹוִה Y'howih,
יְהוִה Y'hwih, or
יְהוָה Y'hwah

as these are based upon vowels clearly meant for Adonai and Elohiym. These vowels have been transposed in order to prevent the reader from pronouncing the true name of YHWH.

1 All scripture is translated directly from the Hebrew by the author, Yaaqov Ben Yisrael

2 The old Hebrew text was, in all probability, written in continuous script, without any breaks. The division into words, books, sections, paragraphs, verses, as well as the fixing of orthography, cantillation, and pronunciation; the introduction of the modern square letters, final letters, and the substitution of some words for others in public reading was the work of the Masoretes. "Masorah" The Jewish Encyclopedia page 365

3 According to some Rabbis, Leviticus 24:16 prohibits the expression of the Name;


	Blasphemy 1. swear impiously: to swear in a way that insults religion 2. insult religion: to treat God or sacred things disrespectfully through words or action Leviticus Chapter 24 10 And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp. 11 And the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of YHWH. 13 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 14 'Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that blasphemeth the name of YHWH, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him; as well the stranger, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the Name, shall be put to death.

From Lev 24:16:

וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם יְהוָה מוֹת יוּמָת רָגוֹם יִרְגְּמוּ בוֹ כָּל הָעֵדָה | כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח בְּנָקְבוֹ שֵׁם יוּמָת

The one pronouncing the name YHWH shall surely die, the whole community shall stone him; as the alien so the native in pronouncing the name, he shall die. (YBY Translation).

Even Rashi prohibits the name according to verse 11. Mishneh Torah Leviticus 24:11

4 Simeon the Just; The Jewish Encyclopedia page 352

5 See Table-II in the Appendixes

6 There are two types of the shewa ( : ) yet both look identical. The silent shewa is not pronounced but the vocal shewa is. When pronounced, the shewa has a hurried pronunciation, and usually sounds like the 'a' in amuse. In this paper, the shewa will be represented by the apostrophe in the transliteration of the name

Who is born a Jew?

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 21:19:05 -0700

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	Some commentary at the end of the article has been added for further clarification. Anyone having additional information - please add a comment.

Who is born a Jew?

The question of who is born a Jew has been much debated. We consider first the views of Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism and Karaite Judaism.

Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism considers that according to the Torah a person is born a Jew only if that person's Mother is Jewish. On the other hand, Karaite Judaism considers that according to the Torah a person is born a Jew only if that person's Father is Jewish.

We will examine the two readings in the Pentateuch that imply a status of the child of Israelite intermarriage to a non-Israelite. We will examine these two readings in light of the Rabbinical position as well as in light of the Karaite position. The two readings are: from Deuteronomy 7:3-4, and Leviticus 24:10-16.


	Deuteronomy Chapter 7 1 When YHWH thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 and when YHWH thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them; 3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of YHWH be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly.

First, from Deuteronomy 7:3-4 "Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son, nor his daughter shall you take unto your son. For he will turn away your son from following Me, that you may serve other gods."

The first interpretation of this is as follows (we have added in brackets the interpretation of the text):
";Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son ["he" being the Canaanite man, and "his son" being the son of that Canaanite man], nor his daughter [again "he" being the Canaanite man, and "his daughter" being the daughter of that Canaanite man] shall you take unto your son ["you" being the Israelite to whom the Torah speaks to, and "your son" being the son of that Israelite]. For he ["he" being the Canaanite man] will turn away your son ["your son" being the son of the Israelite] from following Me, that you may serve other gods. " In this interpretation, the concern expressed in the Torah is that the Israelite's son is given in marriage to a pagan woman and the pagan woman's father will teach paganism. In this interpretation there is no implication being made on the status of any possible offspring between the mixed couple.The second interpretation of this is as follows (we have added in brackets the interpretation of the text):
Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son ["he" being the Canaanite man, and "his son" being the son of that Canaanite man], nor his daughter [again "he" being the Canaanite man, and "his daughter" being the daughter of that Canaanite man] shall you take unto your son ["you" being the Israelite to whom the Torah speaks to, and "your son" being the son of that Israelite]. For he ["he" being the son of the Canaanite man] will turn away your son ["your son" being the grandson of the Israelite, i.e. the son of the daughter of the Israelite] from following Me, that you may serve other gods. So, in this interpretation, the concern expressed in the Torah is that the Israelite's daughter's son will be taught paganism (i.e. the Torah is concerned about that because the Israelite's daughter's son must be a Israelite).

A third interpretation of this is as follows (we have added in brackets the interpretation of the text):
Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son ["he" being the Canaanite man, and "his son" being the son of that Canaanite man], nor his daughter [again "he" being the Canaanite man, and "his daughter" being the daughter of that Canaanite man] shall you take unto your son ["you" being the Israelite to whom the Torah speaks to, and "your son" being the son of that Israelite]. For he ["he" being the Canaanite man] will turn away your son ["your son" being the grandson of the Israelite, regardless of whether its from Canaanite father-Israelite mother or vice versa] from following Me, that you may serve other gods. So, in this interpretation, the concern expressed in the Torah is that the Israelite's grandchildren will be taught paganism (i.e. the Torah is concerned about that because the grandchild is Israelite from either situation, Canaanite father with Israelite mother, or vice versa.)

A fourth interpretation of this is as follows (we have added in brackets the interpretation of the text):
Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son ["he" being the Canaanite man, and "his son" being the son of that Canaanite man], nor his daughter [again "he" being the Canaanite man, and "his daughter" being the daughter of that Canaanite man] shall you take unto your son ["you" being the Israelite to whom the Torah speaks to, and "your son" being the son of that Israelite]. For he ["he" being the son of the Israelite] will turn away your son ["your son" being the grandson of the Israelite] from following Me, that you may serve other gods. So, in this interpretation, the concern expressed in the Torah is that the Israelite's grandchildren will be taught paganism, where the son of the Israelite is swayed from God by his Canaanite wife's clan and accepts his Israelite son to be taught paganism.

The Rabbinical position is that of the second interpretation (that the implication is that child of the Israelite mother is Jewish; keep in mind that even with this interpretation, there is no explicit implication that the child of a Israelite father with Canaanite mother is or isn't Jewish).

The Karaite position is either that of the first interpretation (that there is no implication made) or fourth interpretation (that the implication is that the child of the Israelite father is Jewish; keep in mind that even with this interpretation, there is no explicit implication that the child of a Israelite mother with Canaanite father is or isn't Jewish). Furthermore the Karaite position will highlight the first phrase of this quote: "Neither shall you make marriages with them". Who is this speaking to? Certainly it is speaking at least to male Israelites, which means that there is a concern about males Israelites marrying pagans. Why? because the offspring must be Jewish. of course, one may easily argue that this is also speaking to female Israelites, in which case the concern is also that female Israelites should not marry pagans because the offspring must be also Jewish.

The third interpretation in not adopted as a position by either Karaites or Rabbanites. However many Bible translations incorporate this view. For example the NSRV translates this passage in English as: Do not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for that would turn away your children from following me, to serve other gods.


	Leviticus Chapter 24 10 And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp. 11 And the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of YHWH. 13 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 14 'Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that blasphemeth the name of YHWH, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him; as well the stranger, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the Name, shall be put to death.

Now, regarding Leviticus 24:10-16 "A man whose mother was an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian came out among the people of Israel; and the Israelite woman's son and a certain Israelite began fighting in the camp. The Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name in a curse. And they brought him to Moses - now, his mother's name was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan - and they put him in custody, until the decision of the Lord should made clear to them. The Lord said to Moses, saying: Take the blasphemer outside the camp and let all who were within hearing lay their hands on his head, and let the whole congregation stone him. And speak to the people of Israel saying: anyone who curses God shall bear the sin. One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name shall be put to death."

The Karaite interpretation is as follows:
a) Twice, the son of the mixed couple is referred to as "The Israelite womans's son", as opposed to the individual who he was fighting with, who is referred to simply as "a certain Israelite"). That must mean that the Israelite woman's son is not considered a Israelite. If he was, the entire passage wouldn't even bother discussing the fact that the person was a child of intermarriage. Instead, the passage would simply say that there were two Israelites that engaged in a fight, and then one of the blasphemed.
b) As if to stress the point, the reference at the end of the passage is made to the fact that "Aliens as well as citizens... shall be put to death", probably indicating that the "Israelite Woman's son" was considered a Egyptian (alien). Otherwise there would be no need to state that aliens too should be put to death for blasphemy.

The Rabbinical interpretation is that the passage says that the son of the Israelite woman "came out among the people of Israel", which must imply that he was "of the people of Israel". A rebuttal to this point is that "came out among the people of Israel" is similar or identical to the way in which resident aliens (Ger Toshav) are normally referred to (i.e. as aliens living among the people of Israel) and therefore just saying "came out among the people of Israel" could easily refer to a resident alien and does not imply "of the people of Israel".

The reader will need to assess for her/himself what is the best interpretation of the two passages. The fact that the Karaite position is for patrilineal descent, and the Orthodox Rabbinical position is for matrilineal descent, the result is that for the vast majority of children of intermarriage, one of these two Jewish institutions already accepts them as born Jewish (which institution depends on whether the person is a child of Jewish mother or Jewish father).

There is one small subset of children of intermarriage that will not fit either criteria: that is for a person with Jewish Maternal Grandfather, non-Jewish Maternal Grandmother, Jewish Paternal Grandmother, non-Jewish Paternal Grandfather. In this case the person is not considered Jewish-born by Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism (because the Mother is not Jewish, because the maternal grandmother is not Jewish) and is not considered Jewish-born by Karaite Judaism (because the Father is not Jewish, because the paternal grandfather is not Jewish).

Conversely, there is also a subset that is considered Jewish-born by both. That is for a person with Jewish Maternal Grandmother, non-Jewish Maternal Grandfather, Jewish Paternal Grandfather, non-Jewish Paternal Grandmother. In this case the person is considered Jewish-born by Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism (because the Mother is Jewish, because the maternal grandmother is Jewish) and is also considered Jewish-born by Karaite Judaism (because the Father is Jewish, because the paternal grandfather is Jewish).

In case the reader concludes that the Orthodox position is correct, and the reader is of Patrilineal descent but wishes to be Jewish (according to the Orthodox Rabbinical definition), there are many resources in Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism that can assist with conversion requests. Some of these are:
http://www.convertingtojudaism.com
http://www.conversion2judaism.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodoxconversiontojudaism/

In case the reader concludes that the Karaite position is correct, and the reader is of Matrilineal descent but wishes to be Jewish (according to the Karaite definition), the following resources are available:
http://www.kjuonline.com/FAQ.htm (website of Karaite Jewish university)
http://www.karaite-korner.org/conversion_faq.htm (Karaite corner website).


	Interestingly, and correctly, the following specifies Orthodox support for the below.

In case the reader concludes that the Orthodox Rabbinical position is correct, and the reader is of Patrilineal descent and wishes to remain a non-Jew (from a Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism standpoint) but still wishes to honor and uphold the Torah as a non-Jewish descendant of Jewish intermarriage, there are resources also available:

http://www.bnainoach.com ("Children of Noah". Website for observants & friends of the Noahide covenant)
http://www.bnti.us/ (Bnai Noah Torah Institute website)
Also, this website http://www.half-jewish.org contains information about how Torah applies to Gentiles who descend from Intermarried Jews as well as information about other belief systems and their compatibility or incompatibility with Judaism.


	I do not believe Karaites support the Noachide religion - need reference. Both Karaite and Rabbinical Jews support a "Stranger that Sojourns" or "Ger". There seems to be slight differences in responsibility between someone considered a Ger and someone considered a Jew; however, the Ger is attempting to become a Jew. The Torah does not specify how long someone can be a Ger - it does, in fact, allow the Ger to decide when he/she would like to become a Jew. This does depend on the Jew to consider that person a Ger (understanding and following the commands of YHWH) - especially, since the children of Israel are commanded to prevent foreigners from attending the Passover. Exodus Chapter 12 43 And YHWH said unto Moses and Aaron: 'This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no alien eat thereof; 44 but every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to YHWH, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.' 50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as YHWH commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51 And it came to pass the selfsame day that YHWH did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. Ezekiel Chapter 47 21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you and to the strangers that sojourn among you, who shall beget children among you; and they shall be unto you as the home-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord YHWH.

Likewise if the reader concludes that the Karaite position is correct, and the reader is of Matrilineal descent and wishes to remain a non-Jew (from a Karaite standpoint) but still wishes to honor and uphold the Torah as a non-Jewish descendant of Jewish intermarriage, the same resources mentioned above are applicable.

So far we have discussed the issue of "who is a born-Jew". In addition to Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism, there are three other Rabbinical Judaism denominations: Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist. Conservative Judaism accepts the same position as Orthodox Judaism. Reform Judaism has adopted the position that a person with one Jewish parent (whether mother or father) is considered Jewish if that person was raised as a Jew; and, conversely, that such a person is not considered Jewish if he/she was not raised as a Jew (regardless of whether the Jewish parent is the mother or the father). Finally, Reconstructionist Judaism generally recognizes as Jewish anyone of Jewish descent who was raised as a Jew or identifies with the Jewish people. It is not as concerned with scriptural / halachic interpretation, as much as it is concerned with providing peoplehood to all generations of Jews.

For those readers who are interested in learning more about, and possibly converting to Reform, Conservative, or Reconstructionist Judaism, there are a multitude of resources available. We list only a few:

http://www.mindspring.com/~brownstev/conversion.htm (Reconstructionist)
http://www.jrf.org/ (Reconstructionist)
http://urj.org (Reform)
http://www.liberaljudaism.org (Liberal Judaism, UK)
http://www.uscj.org (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism)
http://www.convert.org
http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=32584
http://www.joi.org (The Jewish Outreach Institute - dedicated to creating a more open and welcoming Judaism)


	The laws of inheritance are revealing as well. After a woman marries a Jewish man, she becomes part of the husband's tribe. If the husband dies after having a son, the son receives the inheritance. If the husband dies after having a daughter but no sons, the daughter receives the inheritance on the condition she marries within her dead father's tribe. This prevents a tribe's inheritance from transferring from one tribe to the other. If the husband dies childless, it becomes the duty of his brother to build his dead brother's legacy by taking his sister-in-law (a widow) as a wife and giving her a child in his dead brother's name... Should the brother refuse this duty, the widow disgraces him in front of the elders of the tribe. However, the disgraced brother still gets the dead husband's inheritance (Num 27). The widow, no longer a member of her dead husband's tribe, returns to the tribe of her youth (back to her father). Seems pretty clear. If a Jewish woman marries a non-Jewish man, how are her children receiving the inheritance of the children of Israel? According to these verses, they do not. The implications are profound. So, where are the tribes? Numbers Chapter 27 8 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. 9 And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. 10 And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren. 11 And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. And it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as YHWH commanded Moses.' Numbers Chapter 36 8 And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9 So shall no inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall cleave each one to its own inheritance.' Deuteronomy Chapter 25 5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. 6 And it shall be, that the first-born that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say: 'My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me.' 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand, and say: 'I like not to take her'; 9 then shall his brother's wife draw nigh unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say: 'So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother's house.' 10 And his name shall be called in Israel The house of him that had his shoe loosed. Leviticus Chapter 22 12 And if a priest's daughter be married unto a common man, she shall not eat of that which is set apart from the holy things. 13 But if a priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father's bread; but there shall no common man eat thereof.


	Another reference to the differences between Karaite and Rabbinical... From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_is_a_Jew: The origin of the rule that a person's Jewish status is determined in accordance with matrilineal descent is obscure. Traditional rabbis have pointed to Deuteronomy 7:3-4 and Ezra 10:3 as implicit sources,[2][3] while advocates of patrilineal descent point to Genesis 48:15-20 and Deuteronomy 10:15.[4] Deuteronomy Chapter 7 1 When YHWH thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 and when YHWH thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them; 3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of YHWH be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly. Ezra Chapter 10 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra: 'We have broken faith with our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. 3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of YHWH, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise; for the matter belongeth unto thee, and we are with thee; be of good courage, and do it.' 5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they swore. Genesis Chapter 48 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath been my shepherd all my life long unto this day, 16 the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.' 17 And when Joseph saw that his father was laying his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said unto his father: 'Not so, my father, for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.' 19 And his father refused, and said: 'I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.' 20 And he blessed them that day, saying: 'By thee shall Israel bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.' And he set Ephraim before Manasseh. Deuteronomy Chapter 10 14 Behold, unto YHWH thy God belongeth the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that therein is. 15 Only YHWH had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you, above all peoples, as it is this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Counting the Omer - 2009

Sun, 3 May 2009 17:02:34 -0700

Today is Sunday, May 31, 2009 -

Day 50 of Omer
Chag Sameach Shavuot!

Feast of Weeks, Feast of Harvest
Feast of First Fruits

Baruch YHWH!

Rabbinical Jews start the counting of the Omer on the day after Passover. Karaites believe the counting of the Omer starts the day after the shabbat that occurs during passover. Let's try to understand what the Torah actually says.

A couple simple verses leading to the first day of Omer starting the day after shabbat during Passover:

- We are to count 7 shabbats which logically points to shabbat as the shabbat, not Passover as the first shabbat -- there are not 7 Passovers. Shavua is hebrew for week - Shavout is afterall interpretted to mean Feast of Weeks.

- Most revealing is Lev 23:16 where it specifies the fiftieth day being the "morrow after shabbat", which clearly would be a Sunday.

Therefore, the count would begin on the day after shabbat during Passover.

Interestingly enough, those following the lunar calendar would have the same count in the year 2009 since Passover fell on shabbat according to the lunar calendar.


	Contrary to popular belief, the Counting of Omer leading to Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) begins after shabbat, not after Passover. From http://www.karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml: Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) is the Biblical harvest-festival celebrated 50 days after the Sunday which falls out during Passover. These fifty days are called the Counting of the Omer. A more accurate translation of Lev 23:15-16 follows: Leviticus Chapter 23 15 And you shall count for yourself from the day after the seventh day of rest (the shabbat - הַשַּׁבָּת), from the day that you brought the sheaf of waving; seven seventh days of rest (a shabbatote - שַׁבָּתֹות) shall there be complete; 16 even unto the day after after the seventh day of rest (the shabbat - הַשַּׁבָּת) shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto YHWH. The references to shabbat in these verses specify a definite article using "the shabbat" rather than "a shabbat". The definition of shabbat occurs a few verses earlier in Lev 23:3. Leviticus Chapter 23 3 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest (a shabbat shabbathown - שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתֹון), a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work; it is a sabbath (a shabbat - שַׁבַּת) unto YHWH in all your dwellings. Leviticus Chapter 23 15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest (הַשַּׁבָּת), from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks (שַׁבָּתֹות) shall there be complete; 16 even unto the morrow after the seventh week (הַשַּׁבָּת) shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto YHWH. 17 Ye shall bring out of your dwellings two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, for first-fruits unto YHWH. 18 And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams; they shall be a burnt-offering unto YHWH, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto YHWH. 19 And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before YHWH, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to YHWH for the priest. 21 And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

KJU Final Paper - Tahor and Qadosh

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:42:34 -0700

Karaite Jewish University, and the people and organizations quoted on kjuonline.com, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

On the relationship between Tahor and Qadosh
by Benjamin ben Daniel
(with Tanakh references from JPS 1917)
(Hebrew grammar guidance by Zvi)

The children of Israel are instructed to be both Tahor (clean) and Qadosh (holy). While Tahor and Qadosh have different requirements and seem to have different goals, they can appear equally important to the reader of the Tanakh. Teaching the differences between the Tahor (clean) and the Tamei (unclean/defiled) as well as between the Qodesh (holiness) and the Chol (common/profane) is commanded; but this essay is not about those differences. This essay will explore the relationship between Qadosh and Tahor. Hopefully, this will lead to a greater understanding of their goals and how each is applied.


	Leviticus Chapter 10 8 And YHWH spoke unto Aaron, saying: 9 'Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 And that ye may put difference between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean; 11 and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which YHWH hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.' Ezekiel Chapter 22 26 Her priests have done violence to My law, and have profaned My holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and the common, neither have they taught difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Ezekiel Chapter 44 23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Qadosh is the Hebrew word for holy. The children of Israel are a holy people set apart unto YHWH; therefore, we are to be Qadosh - set apart from the common. A basic advantage to being Qadosh is you are able to be in the presence of YHWH. Qadosh applies not only to the children of Israel; it applies to specific objects, places, acts, and days which are set apart from the common, prepared especially for the one and only god, YHWH.


	Children of Israel being a holy people: Exodus Chapter 22 30 And ye shall be holy men unto Me; therefore ye shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs. Leviticus Chapter 19 1 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: Ye shall be holy; for I YHWH your God am holy. Places: Exodus Chapter 3 5 And He said: 'Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.' Numbers Chapter 18 10 In a most holy place shalt thou eat thereof; every male may eat thereof; it shall be holy unto thee. Objects: Exodus Chapter 28 2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for splendour and for beauty. Exodus Chapter 30 25 And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. Days: Exodus Chapter 20 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Leviticus Chapter 23 4 These are the appointed seasons of YHWH, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season. Acts: Exodus Chapter 30 10 And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations; it is most holy unto YHWH.' Leviticus Chapter 7 1 And this is the law of the guilt-offering: it is most holy.

Additionally, we are instructed to be Tahor. Unlike the rules on becoming Qadosh, the instructions on becoming and staying Tahor are clearly listed in the Torah. For example, when talking about the instructions for eating specific foods, specific descriptions of the characteristics of animals and plants are given. While some Hebrew words for specific kosher birds are not understood and debate continues on some foods such as eating mushrooms or algea based on the definition of seeds, one can still follow a specific set of rules to determine which foods can be and which ones cannot be eaten in an effort to be Tahor. Other areas of concern when dealing with our attempts at becoming Tahor are also clearly defined, such as prevention from touching the dead, a woman having a flow, a man having a nocturnal emission, a woman giving birth, etc. And therefore, based on natural occurrences, there will be, unfortunately, times when everyone will become Tamei.


	Leviticus Chapter 12 1 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a woman be delivered, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall continue in the blood of purification three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled. Leviticus Chapter 15 16 And if the flow of seed go out from a man, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. 17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the flow of seed, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

When one is Tamei, there are detailed instructions on how to become Tahor once again. Based on these detailed instructions, YHWH does respect and understand the possibility of our becoming Tamei.

There are even rules on how to act while we are Tamei. For example, while Tamei, we should protect ourselves from "contaminating" others causing them to become Tamei. Actually, becoming Tamei under natural circumstances is not, in itself, a sin. Sinning occurs while Tamei, for example, if we are not protecting ourselves from others causing them to become Tamei, or if we eat holy food and/or enter a holy place, or if we do not follow instructions to become Tahor once again.

Unfortunately, the instructions for becoming Tahor after becoming Tamei are difficult if not impossible to fulfill while we are in exile. Still, it is most important that we do our best to comply with and understand the laws of Tahor to the best of our ability. I believe this continued effort is to show our sincerity in our hopes that YHWH will communicate with the children of Israel once again.


	Numbers Chapter 19 13 Whosoever toucheth the dead, even the body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself -- he hath defiled the tabernacle of YHWH -- that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of sprinkling was not dashed against him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. ... 17 And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the purification from sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel. 18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

Now that we have a basic understanding of what is laid out in the Torah concerning the Tahor and Qadosh concepts, the relationship between them can be examined. How do their goals affect one another? In other words, how does becoming Tamei affect the ability to become Qadosh? And, if we become Chol, does it have an affect on our becoming Tahor? The following verses were found when cross referencing Tahor and Qadosh:


	Leviticus Chapter 11 43 Ye shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarmeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44 For I am YHWH your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy; neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of swarming thing that moveth upon the earth. Leviticus Chapter 21 1 And YHWH said unto Moses: Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them: There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people; 2 except for his kin, that is near unto him, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother; 3 and for his sister a virgin, that is near unto him, that hath had no husband, for her may he defile himself. 4 He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

As mentioned previously, someone that is Tamei shall not come into contact with someone or something Tahor and, interestingly enough, this would include someone or something that is Qadosh. Someone Tamei risks defiling the sanctuary of YHWH; and therefore, logically speaking, someone Tamei can not be Qadosh. Holy is to be set apart unto YHWH. Becoming Tamei is to cancel out Qadosh making the Qodesh both defiled and detestable.


	Leviticus Chapter 20 25 Ye shall therefore separate between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean; and ye shall not make your souls detestable by beast, or by fowl, or by any thing wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 And ye shall be holy unto Me; for I YHWH am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that ye should be Mine. Leviticus Chapter 22 4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath an issue, he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any one that is unclean by the dead; or from whomsoever the flow of seed goeth out; 5 or whosoever toucheth any swarming thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; 6 the soul that toucheth any such shall be unclean until the even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water. Numbers Chapter 9 7 And those men said unto him: 'We are unclean by the dead body of a man; wherefore are we to be kept back, so as not to bring the offering of YHWH in its appointed season among the children of Israel?' 8 And Moses said unto them: 'Stay ye, that I may hear what YHWH will command concerning you.' 9 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 10 'Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If any man of you or of your generations shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto YHWH; 11 in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 12 they shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break a bone thereof; according to all the statute of the passover they shall keep it. Numbers Chapter 19 20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of YHWH; the water of sprinkling hath not been dashed against him: he is unclean. Isaiah Chapter 52 1 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Isaiah Chapter 65 4 That sit among the graves, and lodge in the vaults; that eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; 5 That say: 'Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou'; these are a smoke in My nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

Leonard Nemoy alludes to the fact that "the unclean are not Qadosh" in the following quote. He explains that a "clean" person wearing "clean" clothes in a "clean" place can acceptably seek YHWH through prayer. Prayers are set apart unto YHWH, as are sacrifices - both are therefore, Qadosh. He goes on to say that the land is Tamei; so I believe this explains a common practice among the Karaites where a Tahor rug is laid on the ground to create a Tahor place for prayer.

THE PSEUDO-QUMISIAN SERMON TO THE KARAITES
Leonard Nemoy
pp 64-65

[Prayer not equivalent to sacrifice]
Know ye also that prayer is not the same as sacrifice, for sacrifice is not acceptable except when offered at the chosen place by the hand of a man from the chosen Tribe, that is to Say, in the Lord's Sanctuary by the hands of officiants from the children of Aaron clad in holy vestments. Not so prayer, which is permitted to any man that is clean, is clad in any clean, but not holy, garments, and is in any clean place. It is [not]40 for us to say that no prayer may be offered except in a sanctified place, for he who designates a non-precept as a precept is the same as if he had designated a precept as a non-precept. Do you not know that the Lord has designated all the lands of the Gentiles as unclean ground, because of the Gentiles' uncleanness, and has called even the Land of Israel an unclean land (Ezra 9:11), by reason of Gentiles being therein, as it is written, through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands (ibid.)? A holy place cannot be (situated) upon unclean ground, and he who designates a non-precept as a precept is the same as a worshiper of other gods. Hence it is written, And the Lord shall scatter you among the peoples ... and there ye 40 Read [l'N] i:m (which makes Mann's emendation N~' unnecessary). shall serve gods, the work of men's hands (Deut. 4:27-28 ) where today is there among Israel any worship of wooden or stone idols? Know therefore that all festive seasons, statutes, and judgments not ordained by the Lord are the same as the worship of other gods, which is why Scripture says, Go ye, serve everyone his idols, even because ye will not hearken unto Me (Ezek. 20:39). All manmade precepts learned by rote are the same as the worship of wood and stone, they are statutes that are not good, and ordinances whereby they cannot live (Ezek. 20:25).

Quite clearly therefore, being Tahor is a requirement for someone or something to be Qadosh. It is not the only requirement for someone to be Qadosh; but prior to even being considered potentially Qadosh, someone must be Tahor. As also mentioned previously, the goal of becoming Qadosh is to be capable of being in the presence of YHWH. Therefore, we come to the conclusion of my essay:

Being in the presence of YHWH is the goal. To be in YHWH's presence, we must be Qadosh. And being Tahor is required to be Qadosh.


	Psalms Chapter 24 3 Who shall ascend into the mountain of YHWH? and who shall stand in His holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not taken My name in vain, and hath not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from YHWH, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Karaite Jewish University - Class 2009

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:52:00 -0800

Karaite Jewish University, and the people and organizations quoted on kjuonline.com, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Karaite Jewish University - Class 2009

My friends, it is an honor and a privilege to report another successful year for Karaite Jewish University. The staff at KJU and each proud member of class 2009 can and should stand up to take a bow. I can not express enough gratitude for those involved. Todah!

Baruch atah, YHWH Eloheinu, melech ha-olam oseh ma'aseh vereshit.
Blessed is you, YHWH our God, King of the Universe, the source of creation and its wonders.

KJU Diploma

Official Certificate from Israel

Baruch YHWH!

Saying YHVH verses Adonay or Hashem

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 14:47:22 -0800

Yochanon Zaqantov, and the people and organizations quoted on KaraiteJudaism.org, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

Saying YHVH verses Adonay or Hashem
By Yochanan Zaqantov

When you hear our Rabbanite brothers, they use Hashem instead of his name. Hashem literally means "the name". Even some people will use Adonay instead, but why would one not use the name if its there in the Hebrew Text. We will be looking first at the reasoning for not speaking His Name. We will also examine the reasons for using his Name. So, lets examine the reason for not pronouncing the Name.

Referenced from: JewFAQ.org: The Name of G-d

Pronouncing the Name of God

Nothing in the Torah prohibits a person from pronouncing the Name of God. Indeed, it is evident from scripture that God's Name was pronounced routinely. Many common Hebrew names contain "Yah" or "Yahu," part of God's four-letter Name. The Name was pronounced as part of daily services in the Temple.


	YHWH is God's name and His name is commonly used throughout the Tanakh -- by everyone, not just priests. Genesis Chapter 24 26 And the man bowed his head, and prostrated himself before YHWH. 27 And he said: 'Blessed be YHWH, the God of my master Abraham, who hath not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master; as for me, YHWH hath led me in the way to the house of my master's brethren.' Second Samuel Chapter 14 16 For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. 17 Then thy handmaid said: Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for my comfort; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and YHWH thy God be with thee.'

Continued from JewFAQ.org: The Name of G-d...

The Mishnah confirms that there was no prohibition against pronouncing The Name in ancient times. In fact, the Mishnah recommends using God's Name as a routine greeting to a fellow Jew. Berakhot 9:5. However, by the time of the Talmud, it was the custom to use substitute Names for God. Some rabbis asserted that a person who pronounces YHVH according to its letters (instead of using a substitute) has no place in the World to Come, and should be put to death. Instead of pronouncing the four-letter Name, we usually substitute the Name "Adonai," or simply say "Ha-Shem" (lit. The Name).


	A suggestion found in the Talmud (but not followed by a great majority of rabbinical Jews) is to use God's name when greeting his fellow. An explanation is included at the link below offering a reason why this suggestion should not be followed -- that only the righteous are allowed to speak God's name... however, examples of common men and women using God's name freely in the Tanakh are not difficult to find... http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mishnah/ Berakhot 9:5 And they corrected that a person should greet [lit, inquire the peace of] his fellow with the Name [of God]. as it says, Then Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers "YHVH with you", and they said to him "May YHVH bless you." [Ruth 2:4] And [another verse] says, YHVH is with you, valorous mighty one.[Judges 6:12] And [another verse] says, Do not scorn, for your mother is old.[Proverbs 23:22] And [another verse] says, It is time to act for YHVH; they violated your Torah. [Ps. 119:126] Rabbi Nathan says, They violated your Torah; it is time to act for YHVH.

Continued from JewFAQ.org: The Name of G-d...

Although the prohibition on pronunciation applies only to the four-letter Name, Jews customarily do not pronounce any of God's many Names except in prayer or study. The usual practice is to substitute letters or syllables, so that Adonai becomes Adoshem or Ha-Shem, Elohaynu and Elohim become Elokaynu and Elokim, etc.

With the Temple destroyed and the prohibition on pronouncing The Name outside of the Temple, pronunciation of the Name fell into disuse. Scholars passed down knowledge of the correct pronunciation of YHVH for many generations, but eventually the correct pronunciation was lost, and we no longer know it with any certainty. We do not know what vowels were used, or even whether the Vav in the Name was a vowel or a consonant. See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about the difficulties in pronouncing Hebrew. Some religious scholars suggest that the Name was pronounced "Yahweh," but others do not find this pronunciation particularly persuasive.

Some people render the four-letter Name as "Jehovah," but this pronunciation is particularly unlikely. The word "Jehovah" comes from the fact that ancient Jewish texts used to put the vowels of the Name "Adonai" (the usual substitute for YHVH) under the consonants of YHVH to remind people not to pronounce YHVH as written. A sixteenth century German ****ian scribe, while transliterating the Bible into Latin for the Pope, wrote the Name out as it appeared in his texts, with the consonants of YHVH and the vowels of Adonai, and came up with the word JeHoVaH, and the name stuck.
JewFAQ.org: The Name of G-d

So we see from this description that there indeed is no restriction in the Miqra for saying the name. In fact, this website admits that Elohim's name was used through out the Tanakh. The restriction was a man made rule. No only do they restrict the writing or saying of the name but also some advocate that one substitute letters or some use hypen to block out letters of even the words like God to be G-d. The claim is made that no one knows the Vowels that were used for the name YHVH. We will examine that next.


	The Torah, in its original form, does not contain vowel pointings. Vowel pointings were added at a later date... therefore, the replacement name can not be defended as it has nothing to do with Torah. Jeremiah Chapter 21 25 I have heard what the prophets have said, that prophesy lies in My name, saying: 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed.' 26 How long shall this be? Is it in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, and the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? 27 That think to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.

The point was made that the vowels used were for YHVH were from Adonai. So let us examine the vowels

Vowels	Translteration	Hebrew Word
chatef patach - holem - qames	Adonai or Adonay	אֲדֹנָי
chatef-segol - holem - hireq	Elohim	אֱלֹהִים
chatef-segol -- holem - sere	Elohei or Elohey	אֱלֹהֵי
chatef-segol -- holem - qames	Elohai or Elohay	אֱלֹהָי

What we have above is the vowels for other words which vowels could be substituted for YHVH is this is true then one of there combinations should fit what is found in Tanakh.

Vowels	Translteration	Hebrew Word
Seva -- holem -- qames	Yehovah	יְהֹוָה
chatef-segol -- holem - hireq	Yehovih	יֱהֹוִה

The Hebrew word they claim uses the vowels of Adonay does not use the same vowels. The variation Yehovih which appears to use the same vowels as Elohim is translated as God just like Elohim. So we can see from these comparisons that indeed the substituted vowel theory is not viable. Even the Article from Judaism101 states that people used Yeho, Yahu, and Yah as shortened versions of Yehovah. This shows us that indeed the name of Yehovah was used in common speech not just for the Temple or Tent of Meeting.


	Interestingly enough, some literally translate the name, YHWH, from Hebrew as Eternity or Forever. Some say this is because the name, YHWH, in Hebrew appears to be created from all the tenses of the verb "to be"... YHWH: יְהוָה is: הוא, will be: יהיה, was/has been: היה YHWH is, will be, and always has been - He is the first, the last, and the only... Exodus Chapter 3 13 And Moses said unto God: 'Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them: The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is His name? what shall I say unto them?' 14 And God said unto Moses: 'I AM THAT I AM'; and He said: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.' 15 And God said moreover unto Moses: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

Rut/Ruth 2:4
4 Presently Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He greeted the reapers, "Yehovah be with you!" And they responded, "Yehovah bless you!"

In Hebrew, Boaz said to the reapers יְהֹוָה עִמָּכֶם Yehovah 'Imekhem or Yehovah be with you all. The Reapers return the greeting to him and say יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהֹוָה Yevarekh'kha Yehovah or He bless you Yehovah. So we see that with this one example all the people here were just average Yisraelim and not Kohenim or Levi'im. So were does the idea come from that the Kohenim did the blessings. In Bamidbar, chapter 6.

Bamidbar/Numbers 6:22-27
22 Yehovah spoke to Moses:
23 Speak to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless (Tevarakhu -They will bless them תְבָרֲכוּ) the people of Israel. Say to them:
24 Yehovah bless you and protect you! (Yevarekh'kha Yehovah veyish'merekha יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהֹוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ)
25 Yehovah deal kindly and graciously with you! (ya'er Yehovah panayv eleykha viychunekha יָאֵר יְהֹוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ)
26 Yehovah bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace! (Yissa Yehovah panayv eleykha veyasem lekha shalom יִשָּׂא יְהֹוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם)
27 Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them.


	It is common to believe anyone has the authority to bless in a meaningful way... beware those pretending to have authority they do not... enough said. Numbers Chapter 6 22 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 23 'Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying: On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say unto them: 24 YHWH bless thee, and keep thee; 25 YHWH make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26 YHWH lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.'

Thus we see in first blessing part of the blessing given by the Reapers to Boaz. Thus, showing that using a blessing is not only for the Priest but a average Yisraelim can bless too. The Name used in all three of these is Yehovah from YHVH. Thus, this was the name they were to use. We have seen so far that there is no restriction on the saying of the name so far.

Vayiqra/Leviticus 24:10-16
10 There came out among the Israelites one whose mother was Israelite and whose father was Egyptian. And a fight broke out in the camp between that half-Israelite and a certain Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman pronounced (vayiqov -- and he pierces וַיִּקֹּב ) the Name in blasphemy (vayeqalel -- and he cursed וַיְקַלֵּל), and he was brought to Moses--now his mother's name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan--12 and he was placed in custody, until the decision of Yehovah should be made clear to them.
13 And Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying: 14 Take the blasphemer (et-ham--qalel -- the one from cursing אֶת־הַמְקַלֵּל) outside the camp; and let all who were within hearing lay their hands upon his head, and let the whole community stone him.
15 And to the Israelite people speak thus: Anyone who blasphemes (yeqalel -- he curses יְקַלֵּל) Elohayv shall bear his guilt; 16 if he also pronounces (venoqev -- and pierces וְנֹקֵב) the name Yehovah, he shall be put to death. The whole community shall stone him; stranger or citizen, if he has thus pronounced (banaq'vo -- in pierce him בְּנָקְבוֹ) the Name, he shall be put to death.

Vayiqov is the Qal future tense of Naqav a verse in the Qal simple which means to pierce or cause damage. Thus, this person was piercing at the Name to cause harm. It is reference number 5344. The next word is Vayeqalel, which is to condemn or lightly esteem. In another words, he did not hold up Yehovah's name in the awe it should be held. He despised Yehovah. This word is reference number 7043. The word most used for when a person speaks is Amar (אמר 559) or sometimes Davar ( דבר 1696). Here we seen different words used but again because of the translator's agenda we have a text in English, which perpetuates a man made rule of no pronouncing.


	From Gesenius's Lexicon on Naqav: (3) to curse (prop. to pierce, like to cut, to bore, metaph. to curse), e.g. the name of God, Lev. 24:11, 16, he that curseth the name of Jehovah shall surely die" (from this place has arisen the superstitious idea of the Jews that it is forbidden to pronounce the name Jehovah; Nu 23:8, 25; Job 3:8; 5:3; Pro. 11:26 Leviticus Chapter 24 11 And the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. . . . 13 And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying: 14 'Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that blasphemeth the name of YHWH, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him; as well the stranger, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the Name, shall be put to death.

So let us look at some of the ways Yehovah's name is used.

We see we are to swear by his name.

Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:14
13 Revere only Yehovah Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) and worship Him alone, and swear only by His name.

Here we see that one must swear by his name. Thus, one must speak it to swear by it.


	Deuteronomy Chapter 6 13 Thou shalt fear YHWH thy God; and Him shalt thou serve, and by His name shalt thou swear. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; 15 for a jealous God, even YHWH thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of YHWH thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Here we see that one must swear by his name. Thus, one must speak it to swear by it.

Devarim/Deuteronomy 10:20
20 You must revere Yehovah Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ): only Him shall you worship, to Him shall you hold fast, and by His name shall you swear.


	Deuteronomy Chapter 10 20 Thou shalt fear YHWH thy God; Him shalt thou serve; and to Him shalt thou cleave, and by His name shalt thou swear. 21 He is thy glory, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and tremendous things, which thine eyes have seen.

Again, if we must swear by his name then we must speak his name.

Yermiyahu/Jeremiah 4:1-2
1 If you return, O Israel -- declares Yehovah (יְהוָה)-- If you return to Me, If you remove your abominations from My presence And do not waver, 2 And swear, "As Yehovah lives (Chai Yehiovah חַי־יְהוָה), "In sincerity, justice, and righteousness -- Nations shall bless themselves by you And praise themselves by you.


	The examples included here describe how to vow. Further in this paper, the vow's sincerity is stressed expressing the need to be very careful with one's vows. Jeremiah Chapter 4 1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith YHWH, yea, return unto Me; and if thou wilt put away thy detestable things out of My sight, and wilt not waver; 2 And wilt swear: 'As YHWH liveth' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; then shall the nations bless themselves by Him, and in Him shall they glory.

Swearing by his name in sincerity, justice and righteousness is part of returning to him. If we never use his name in swearing or taking oaths are we fully returning to him?

Taken in Oaths

Melekhim Aleph/I Kings 1:29-30
29 And the king took an oath, saying, "As Yehovah lives (Chai Yehovah חַי־יְהוָה), who has rescued me from every trouble: 30 The oath I swore to you by the Lord, the God (baYehovah Elohey בַּיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי) of Israel, that your son Solomon should succeed me as king and that he should sit upon my throne in my stead, I will fulfill this very day!"


	First Kings Chapter 1 28 Then king David answered and said: 'Call me Bath-sheba.' And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore and said: 'As YHWH liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 30 verily as I swore unto thee by YHWH, the God of Israel, saying: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; verily so will I do this day.' 31 Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and prostrated herself to the king, and said: 'Let my lord king David live for ever.'

Melekh David made an oath and in doing so use Chai Yehovah or As Yehovah lives which is swearing by his name.

Melekhim Aleph/I Kings 17:1
1 Elijah the Tishbite, an inhabitant of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As Yehovah lives (Chai Yehovah חַי־יְהוָה), Elohey of Israel whom I serve, there will be no dew or rain except at my bidding."


	First Kings Chapter 17 1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said unto Ahab: 'As YHWH, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.' 2 And the word of YHWH came unto him, saying: 3 'Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.'

Here Eliyahu is making an oath also and using Chai Yehovah too.

Melekhim Bet/II Kings 2:2
2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, for Yehovah (יְהוָה) has sent me on to Bethel." "As Yehovah lives and as you live (chai Yehovah veChei naf'shekha חַי־יְהוָה וְחֵי־נַפְשְׁךָ)," said Elisha, "I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.


	Second Kings Chapter 2 1 And it came to pass, when YHWH would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said unto Elisha: 'Tarry here, I pray thee; for YHWH hath sent me as far as Beth-el.' And Elisha said: 'As YHWH liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' So they went down to Beth-el. -- 3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him: 'Knowest thou that YHWH will take away thy master from thy head to-day?' And he said: 'Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.' -- 4 And Elijah said unto him: 'Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for YHWH hath sent me to Jericho.' And he said: 'As YHWH liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' So they came to Jericho. -- 5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said unto him: 'Knowest thou that YHWH will take away thy master from thy head to-day?' And he answered: 'Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.' -- 6 And Elijah said unto him: 'Tarry here, I pray thee; for YHWH hath sent me to the Jordan.' And he said: 'As YHWH liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' And they two went on.

Here Elisha makes an oath by Yehovah and Eliyahu lives that he will not leave Eliyahu.

Yermiyahu/Jeremiah 12:14-16
14 Thus said Yehovah (יְהוָה): As for My wicked neighbors who encroach on the heritage that I gave to My people Israel--I am going to uproot them from their soil, and I will uproot the House of Judah out of the midst of them. 15 Then, after I have uprooted them, I will take them back into favor, and restore them each to his own inheritance and his own land. 16 And if they learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name-- "As Yehovah lives (Chai Yehovah חַי־יְהוָה)--"just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of My people.


	Jeremiah Chapter 12 14 Thus saith YHWH: As for all Mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit, behold, I will pluck them up from off their land, and will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of My people to swear by My name: 'As YHWH liveth,' even as they taught My people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they will not hearken, then will I pluck up that nation, plucking up and destroying it, saith YHWH.

Here we see that one of the things a person must learn to do be built up in the midst of his people is learn to swear by his name.

Shemu'el Aleph/I Samuel 20:42
42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace! For we two have sworn to each other in the name of Yehovah (יְהוָה): 'May Yehovah (יְהוָה) be [witness] between you and me, and between your offspring and mine, forever!'"

Here Jonathan and David swore to each other by the name of Yehovah. You can see without going through every single reference in the Tanakh that there is ample proof that Yehovah's name was used by the people and were required to swear by it.

They called upon his Name:

Bereshit/Genesis 4:26
26 And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh. It was then that men began to invoke Yehovah by name (liq'ro bashem Yehovah לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה).


	Nice find! This is when the name started being used. Baruch YHWH! When did the name stop being used? Genesis Chapter 4 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh; then began men to call upon the name of YHWH. Jeremiah Chapter 21 25 I have heard what the prophets have said, that prophesy lies in My name, saying: 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed.' 26 How long shall this be? Is it in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, and the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? 27 That think to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.

Liq'ro is the infinitive form of Kara that is to call. Bashem is in name. This means that men called in name Yehovah in this time. They used his name at this time.

Bereshit/Genesis 24:26-27, 35
26 The man bowed low in homage to Yehovah (leYehovah לַיהוָה) 27 and said, "Blessed be Yehovah (Barukh Yehovah בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה), Elohey of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His steadfast faithfulness from my master. For I have been guided on my errand by Yehovah (יְהוָה), to the house of my master's kinsmen."

We see that the servant owned by Avraham was unafraid to use Yehovah's name in speaking of the great thing in making his errand a success.

35 "Yehovah (vaYehovah וַיהוָה) has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich: He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and asses.

Here the servant tells in normal speech how Yehovah had blessed his servant.

Shemot/Exodus 3:13-18
13 Moses said to HaElohim, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them ‘Elohey of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And Elohim said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh

(אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה).” He continued, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘Ehyeh (אֶהְיֶה) sent me to you.’” 15 And Elohim said further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: Yehovah (יְהוָה), Elohey of your fathers, Elohey of Abraham, Elohey of Isaac, and Elohey of Jacob, has sent me to you: This shall be My name forever, This My appellation for all eternity.

Many people confuse Eh’yeh as Yehovah’s name but he clearly says Yehovah and says this is his name. Eh’yeh is the Kal Future of Hayah that is a verb and reference number 1961. This particular conjugation of the verb is one that uses the meaning “Shall be” The Aleph in the front as a prefix is generally used to say “I” Thus Eh’yah is “I shall be” and so he is saying Eh’yah asher Eh’yah or “I shall be which I shall be”

16 "Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: Yehovah (יְהוָה), Elohey of your fathers, Elohey of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said, "I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt, 17 and I have declared: I will take you out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey." 18 They will listen to you; then you shall go with the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt and you shall say to him, "Yehovah (יְהוָה), Elohey of the Hebrews, manifested Himself to us. Now therefore, let us go a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yehovah Eloheynu ( לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ)."

Moshe spoke Yehovah's name to the Elders, the People and Pharaoh. Again if this was not a name to use then why was it used so much. One can't say this was only for prayer but in normal speech.

Shemot/Exodus 5:1-3
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says Yehovah (יְהוָה), Elohey of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness." 2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is Yehovah (יְהוָה) that I should heed Him and let Israel go? I do not know Yehovah (יְהוָה), nor will I let Israel go." 3 They answered, "Elohey of the Hebrews has manifested Himself to us. Let us go, we pray, a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yehovah Eloheynu (לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ), lest He strike us with pestilence or sword."

Again in all the discussions with Pharaoh they used his name and so did Pharaoh.

Shemot/Exodus 14:12-14
12 Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, "Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness'?" 13 But Moses said to the people, "Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which Yehovah (יְהוָה) will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. 14 Yehovah (יְהוָה) will battle for you; you hold your peace!"

Moshe spoke to the people telling them what Yehovah would do.

Shemot/Exodus 15:1-21
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to Yehovah (לַיהוָה). They said: I will sing to Yehovah (לַיהוָה), for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.
2 Yah (יָהּ) is my strength and might; He is become my deliverance. This is Eli and I will enshrine Him; Elohey of my father, and I will exalt Him.
3 Yehovah (יְהוָה), the Warrior--Yehovah (יְהוָה) is His name!
4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the pick of his officers Are drowned in the Sea of Reeds.
5 The deeps covered them; They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Yehovah (יְהוָה), glorious in power, Your right hand, Yehovah (יְהוָה), shatters the foe!
7 In Your great triumph You break Your opponents; You send forth Your fury, it consumes them like straw.
8 At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up, The floods stood straight like a wall; The deeps froze in the heart of the sea.
9 The foe said, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall have its fill of them. I will bare my sword--My hand shall subdue them."
10 You made Your wind blow, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the majestic waters.
11 Who is like You, Yehovah (יְהוָה), among the celestials; Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in splendor, working wonders!
12 You put out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them.
13 In Your love You lead the people You redeemed; In Your strength You guide them to Your holy abode.
14 The peoples hear, they tremble; Agony grips the dwellers in Philistia.
15 Now are the clans of Edom dismayed; The tribes of Moab--trembling grips them; All the dwellers in Canaan are aghast.
16 Terror and dread descend upon them; Through the might of Your arm they are still as stone--Till Your people cross over, Yehovah (יְהוָה), Till Your people cross whom You have ransomed.
17 You will bring them and plant them in Your own mountain, The place You made to dwell in, Yehovah (יְהוָה), The sanctuary, Adonay (אֲדֹנָי), which Your hands established.
18 Yehovah (יְהוָה) will reign for ever and ever!
19 For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and horsemen, went into the sea; and Yehovah (יְהוָה) turned back on them the waters of the sea; but the Israelites marched on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels.
21 And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to Yehovah (לַיהוָה), for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.

You can see Yehovah is used here as well as Yah a shorten version of Yehovah's name.

Shemot/Exodus 20: whole chapter
1 Elohim spoke all these words, saying:
2 I Yehovah am Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage:
3 You shall have no elohim besides Me.
4 You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I Yehovah Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) am an impassioned [God], visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,
6 but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 You shall not swear falsely by the name of Yehovah Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ); for Yehovah (יְהוָה) will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.
8 Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yehovah Eloheykha (לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ): you shall not do any work�you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.
11 For in six days Yehovah (יְהוָה) made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore Yehovah (יְהוָה) blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that Yehovah Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ) is assigning to you.
13 You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
14 You shall not covet your neighbor's house: you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.
15 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance.
16 "You speak to us," they said to Moses, "and we will obey; but let not Elohim speak to us, lest we die."
17 Moses answered the people, "Be not afraid; for Elohim has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may be ever with you, so that you do not go astray."
18 So the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where Elohim was.
19 The Lord said (Vayomer -- and He spoke וַיֹּאמֶר) to Moses: Thus shall you say to the Israelites: You yourselves saw that I spoke to you from the very heavens:
20 With Me, therefore, you shall not make any gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves any gods of gold.
21 Make for Me an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you.
22 And if you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build it of hewn stones; for by wielding your tool upon them you have profaned them.
23 Do not ascend My altar by steps, that your nakedness may not be exposed upon it.

The Yisraelim heard Yehovah Speak if there was to be a restriction put upon saying his name would not here be a good place for it. It is very specific when not to use his name. That leads us into the next section.


	It is most important to be very, very careful with our vows... Ecclesiastes Chapter 5 3 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou vowest. 4 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 5 Suffer not thy mouth to bring thy flesh into guilt, neither say thou before the messenger, that it was an error; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

We are not to swear falsely by his name:


	As the author states, "to swear falsely" is a much better translation than "to take in vain"... Exodus Chapter 20 7 Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain; for YHWH will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. Leviticus Chapter 19 12 And ye shall not swear by My name falsely, so that thou profane the name of thy God: I am YHWH. Deuteronomy Chapter 5 11 Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain; for YHWH will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

Shemot/Exodus 20:7
7 You shall not swear falsely by the name of Yehovah Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ); for Yehovah (יְהוָה) will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.

When we just read this one as part of the whole chapter this is what he says to not use his name for. False swearing which also includes false witnessing. In saying an oath with his name we are making Yehovah our witness that what we say is true. If it is not true we swear falsely and thus false witness.

Vayiqra/Leviticus 19:12
12 You shall not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of Eloheykha (vechillal'ta et Eloheykha) וְחִלַּלְתָּ אֶת־שֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ): I am Yehovah (I Yehovah אֲנִי יְהוָה).

How does one harm his name? Swear Falsely by it. In doing so we cause his name to be common in its used which is reflected in the use of the Hebrew word chalal which we know is to make something set-apart as common or every day.

Devarim/Deuteronomy 5:11
11 You shall not swear falsely by the name of Yehovah Eloheykha (lo tissa et-shem-Yehovah Eloheykha לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת־שֵׁם־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ); for Yehovah (יְהוָה) will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.

Here is the repeat of Shemot 20. Again Moshe repeats what we should not do with the name Yehovah.

We can see that indeed the name Yehovah is used in the Tanakh over 5000 times. If this name was not to be spoken why have it listed so many times. Instead of Yehovah why does it not tell us to speak Hashem or Adonay instead? Chiefly, we have seen because he wants us to know him and his ways. We are commanded to swear by his name Yehovah.

So where do they say Hashem came about and the restriction of the name?

"The restriction upon communicating the Name proper probably originated in Oriental etiquette; in the East even a teacher was not called by name. For naming his master Elisha, Gehazi was punished with leprosy (II Kings viii. 5; Sanh. 100a). After the death of the high priest Simeon the Righteous, forty years prior to the destruction of the Temple, the priests ceased to pronounce the Name (Yoma39b). From that time the pronunciation of the Name was prohibited. "Whoever pronounces the Name forfeits his portion in the future world" (Sanh. xi. 1). Hananiah ben Teradion was punished for teaching his disciples the pronunciation of the Name ('Ab. Zarah 17b). It appears that a majority of the priests in the last days of the Temple were unworthy to pronounce the Name, and a combination of the letters or of the equivalents of the letters constituting the Name was employed by the priests in the Temple. Thus the Twelve-Lettered Name was substituted, which, a baraita says, was at first taught to every priest; but with the increase of the number of licentious priests the Name was revealed only to the pious ones, who "swallowed" its pronunciation while the other priests were chanting. Another combination, the Forty-two-Lettered Name, Rab says, was taught only to whomever was known to be of good character and disposition, temperate, and in the prime of life (Kid. 71a; comp. Rashi to 'Ab. Zarah 17b). Maimonides, in his "Moreh," thinks that these names were perhaps composed of several other divine names."
http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=N&search=Names%20of%20God

So they have concocted a story that the priests stopped using the name in the temple because of its sanctity. This would be an anti-torah enactment since we have seen that we are indeed to use the name in speaking of him, praying to him and swearing by his name. We see that Adonay being substituted was for the same reason but more specific for Prayer. So we can see that in the Tanakh they used his Name Yehovah which the vowel pointing clearly indicates in the Tanakh in key verses where the Holem-hey is still present. We also see the theory of Adonay vowels with the letters of YHVH is not accurate as we have seen the vowels are different. So my conclusions are that one should say the name. What we need to not do is swear falsely by his name and treat his name in a way, which causes damage to it like searing falsely.


	May YHWH, God of Israel, bless you and guide you.

A Jewish view of "satan"

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:31:28 -0800

Gretchen S., and the people and organizations quoted on her site, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

A Jewish view of "satan"
by Gretchen S.

Here is a bit about the Jewish view of Satan, as opposed to the ****ian devil. Again, Judaism has no devil, there is no embodiment of evil who tempts us, as in ****ianity. The Jewish view is very different than that portrayed by ****ains. I hope this will be clear by the end of this post.

First of all, the Hebrew word satan (sin-tet-nun sofit) means an adversary or accuser. It is used this way in Numbers 22:22. "And G-d's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of the L-rd stood in the way as an *adversary* against him...." The word marked with *'s and translated as adversary is satan (actually l'satan, l' being a prefix that in the context gives the meaning "as"). Likewise in Numbers 22:32, part of the same story about Bilaam.


	satan' -- Adversary Numbers Chapter 22 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of YHWH placed himself in the way for an adversary against him. -- Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. -- 23 And the ass saw the angel of YHWH standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field; and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. Numbers Chapter 22 31 Then YHWH opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of YHWH standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of YHWH said unto him: 'Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is contrary unto me; 33 and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times; unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive.'

In I Samuel 29:4. "And the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make this fellow return, that he may go back to his place which you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an *adversary* to us; for how should he reconcile himself to his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?" Again, the word translated as an adversary is satan. Later, in II Samuel 19:23. "And David said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be *adversaries* to me?..." Again the word is satan and is translated as adversary. I could contiue through the Tanach with this. In each case, the word satan is translated as adversary.


	First Samuel Chapter 29 3 Then said the princes of the Philistines: 'What do these Hebrews here?' And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines: 'Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away unto me unto this day?' 4 But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him: 'Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us; for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?' Second Samuel Chapter 19 21 For thy servant doth know that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I am come this day the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.' 22 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said: 'Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed YHWH'S anointed?' 23 And David said: 'What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?' 24 And the king said unto Shimei: 'Thou shalt not die.' And the king swore unto him.

Now, there is the term ha'satan, meaning the adversary. It is used to indicate a definite adversary. It is used in this way in the book of Zecharaih. Zecharia 3:1-2, for example, is sometimes translated as "And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the L-RD, and *Satan* standing at his right hand to thwart him. And the L-RD said to Satan, The L-RD rebukes you, O *Satan;* the L-RD that has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" The word translated here as Satan is ha'satan. In other translations, this is translated as the adversary. In the historical context of the prophet, it is used to avoid using the name of the true adversary who was trying to keep the Jews from rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. The adversary was the Samaritans and a highly placed official in the Persian government. In order to avoid reprisals, Zechariah uses the term "the adversary" or "the accusor" (as the Jews were accused of building the Temple in order to rebell). Now, later in Jewish history, this was interpreted in another, somewhat metaphorical level, as if a prosecuting angel of the heavenly court were accusing Joshua ha-Kohen (the priest), and not the Samaritains that the highly placed Persian official.


	Zechariah Chapter 3 1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of YHWH, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And YHWH said unto Satan: 'YHWH rebuke thee, O Satan, yea, YHWH that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee; is not this man a brand plucked out of the fire?'

The only other occurrence of ha'satan is in the book of Job. The book, first of all, is one of the Writings. It is one inspired Jews attempt to understand why bad things happen to good people. He writes a story about Job's suffering in order to explore the suffering of righteous people in general. The conclusion of his book, the moral of the story, is that only G-d knows why good people sometimes suffer. Satan in this book is a literary tool. That being said, out of this book arose the aggadic (kind of like legendary--there are many legends written in the Talmud to teach a lesson of one kind or another, but are not literally true) idea of Satan as the prosecuting attorney of G-d. Satan here is completely obedient to G-d and he NEVER rebels against G-d. He has a roll just as does the angel of death, in G-d's plan. His job is to act in the heavenly court as the prosecutor of those who recently died. He is in no way evil, he just has a job that some might find distasteful. That is the aggadic idea of Satan, which no Jew is obligated to take literally, but we are supposed to learn the lesson that all of our actions will be known to G-d and that we will be judged.

The adversary in Zechariah was a very real, very human one, the adversary in Job is a teaching tool, as is the Satan of the aggadah. Humans have within them a yetzer hara and a yetzer hatov, a bad impulse and a good impulse. We need no outside, powerful, ultimate evil force to tempt us, the impulse lies within ourselves. By following G-d's will, we can overcome this temptation. There is no power to rival G-d. All angels in Judaism are obedient servants of G-d.

This is in contrast to the ****ian idea of the "devil" and their "satan". In ****ianity, "satan, aka the devil" is viewed as the "god of this world". He has enormous power and he opposes G-d. He is seen as a "fallen angel".

This brings me to the explanation of "Lucifer". Some say that Isaiah 14:12. "How are you fallen from heaven, O bright star [or shining one], son of the morning [or son of dawn]! how are you cut down to the ground, you who ruled the nations!" is about the "devil". Part of this is due to the fact that the term bright star or shining one is translated in Latin to lucifer, which means shining one. Now, the context of the verse and a bit of knowledge of history reviels that this is about the Babylonian empire.


	Isaiah Chapter 14 11 Thy pomp is brought down to the nether-world, and the noise of thy psalteries; the maggot is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.' 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, that didst cast lots over the nations! 13 And thou saidst in thy heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, above the stars of God will I exalt my throne, and I will sit upon the mount of meeting, in the uttermost parts of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.'

One of the main dieties of Babylon was "Ishtar", who was the "god" who was the morning star. Shining one, son of dawn is the morning star. The prophet was avoiding the use of the name of the not-god Ishtar. Reading verse 4, "That you shall take up this proverb against the **king of Babylon,** and say, How has the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!", it becomes clear that this is the king of Babylon and his nation that is being spoken of here. There is no Lucifer, no devil in the Tanach, but there are many, many adversaries and accusers of the Jewish people.


	An important point, which the author seems to believe is commonly understood, includes why the prophet would avoid using the non-god name... Exodus Chapter 23 13 And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed; and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. Deuteronomy Chapter 18 20 But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.'